The Holiday Switch
by Vamplady123
Summary: Edward Cullen turned jaded over time after losing his job as a successful doctor. He takes his wife and two kids for granted. This Christmas, Edward is going to experience the switch of his life. Transported to another reality, he will realize that the life that he had is the life that he wants…the only life he'll ever want. But the thing is: can he ever go back? E/B
1. Prologue

******Disclaimer: All rights and characters belong to the wonderful Ms. Stephanie Meyer. I'm just giving them a holiday twist.**

**Thank you to my wonderful beta: Random Loves. This story wouldn't be possible without your brilliance, support and hard-work. My stories aren't the easiest to deal with and they're certainly not error-free most of the times. Thank you for sticking out and betaing this beast of a story. All this wouldn't be possible without you!**

**Whatever season or holiday you are reading this story, I hope you like it.**

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**Chapter 1: Prologue**

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The middle aged man grumbled under his breath as he brushed off the snow that clung to his jeans. He looked up at the sky and fought the urge to flip it off.

It actually wasn't the sky that he wanted to send the crude gesture, it was meant for Aro, his manager or some shit like that.

Marcus was here, wherever "here" was because Aro, more or less, kicked him out. After a brief explanation on his new mission, with little to no instruction on what he was supposed to do or who he was supposed to guide.

All Marcus knew was that, whoever he was sent to watch out for was, "very similar to him." Or at least to his old human self. Angels like him were stuck in some kind of limbo. They were not considered human but were not ghosts either. See the term "angels" didn't really explain their predicaments, "helpers" or "guardians" might've been a better term for them. After all, the angels that Marcus was forced to keep company with weren't the typical angels that you see on Christmas cards or even the kind you put on top of your Christmas tree. No, they were people who didn't necessarily commit crimes in their human lives, that's what hell is for, but they were the ones who made the wrong choices that changed their lives for the worse.

So in order to get your ticket, or "wings" as they call them, to heaven, you are given a mission back on Earth to help someone. This person may be in the middle of making, or has already made a poor choice. Basically, the "Angels" were guardians, tasked with helping others from committing similar mistakes that they had made in their human life.

"Sounds boring," Marcus mumbled again. After cursing Aro in his head, Marcus decided to look for the address that appeared as a tattoo on his arm. He had to complete this mission. He had much to do and not a great deal of time to do it. If watching humans from his position in the sky taught him anything, it was that they were very stubborn. Marcus lost count of the many times fellow Angels had nearly given up on their missions. However, they always pulled it together. After all, each angel was given their own personalized mission. Fail that, and you'll have to wait another decade to get your wings.

Marcus may be a slacker, and a whiner, but this was his chance, his only chance. He couldn't, and wouldn't, fuck this up. He heard that each angel was only given a specific mission and time to complete their job because although similar mistakes were always made every day, there was most likely an angel that suits that mission. It was only right, like Aro said, that everyone should get their one shot. If they failed, they'd have to wait until the _last _angel that committed the same mistake as them completed their mission. _Then_, an angel was allowed to get another chance to redo their mission.

His eyes scanned up and down the street and when they fell up the house he was looking for, he muttered, under his breath, "Thank God."

The house was average. There were two old cars parked in front of the small garage. The lights were on, indicating that there were people inside.

Marcus didn't know what to do. This was his first mission and Aro said that he wouldn't be there to assist him, saying that although the mission seemed hard at first, everything would come to you naturally. Marcus snorted. He didn't know whether to knock or just barge in announcing that he was here to guide one of the occupants of the house.

He chose the safe route. Marcus used the superb hearing ability, gifted to all Angels, and listened in. On the first floor, he heard two children laughing. Without any thought, Marcus' lips formed into a tiny smile. _"How nice it was to_ _be young_," he thought, "_so nice and innocent_."

He listened in closer and heard a sound on the second floor. Marcus heard a small thump before a masculine voice muttered a few colorful curse words. All of a sudden, his mission tattoo heated up. It didn't hurt, nor did it burn, but it was enough for Marcus to notice. He pulled back his sleeve and saw that the address had been replaced with a name: **Edward Cullen.**

Marcus breathed a small sigh of relief. He now knew how Aro was going to help him. By the words on his right arm, Marcus would learn the information he needed. He looked up at the second floor and couldn't help but wish this Edward boy some luck.

"_You're life is going to change. I hope you're ready_," he thought.

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**Beta'd**** by: Random Loves**

**Don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. His Story

**A/N: I know the first chapter was in 3rd person point of view. From here on out it'll be in 1st person point of view. They'll be all Edwards POV and occasionally Marcus', but if that does happen, it'd be just a short part of his POV. Unless stated otherwise, all chapters are in EPOV.**

**Disclaimer: All characters and rights belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

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**Chapter 2: His Story**

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I groaned at the sound of the quiet ding of the dryer timer. A quick glance at my two children, I smiled; they were playing happily together. Their angelic laughter music to my ears.

Mason Anthony and Grace Alice Cullen may have been unexpected, but I did love them. Mase, now five, was two years older than Gracie. He looked like the carbon copy of me, green eyes, a crooked smile, and unruly hair. The only difference, his hair color was the same exact shade as his mother's. Gracie on the other hand was the split image of Bella, only her hair sporting the same odd bronze tone as mine. She idolized everything Mase did and followed his every move. Thankfully, Mase didn't mind one bit. He loved his sister as much as she loved him.

My smile faltered as I saw Mase reach into the tub of old broken crayons to work on the drawing that both he and his sister were working on. My lips pursed into a thin line as I took in the cluttered living room, old toys scattered all around. Some of these toys could've and should've been thrown out but now.

There was a time when they could have had new toys every week. Where they didn't have to make do with hand-me-down clothes that they're about to grow out of. Where they would've lived a much happier childhood.

I caught sight of the framed picture sitting on the mantel of the small fireplace, and the pang in my chest grew. There was also a time when this family was happy, genuinely happy. Those times stopped almost two years ago. June 2010, our lives turned for the worse. It was just a normal sunny day when I went to go to work at the hospital. Little did I know that I was going to get fired that afternoon.

**…**

_"Bye, sweetheart. Have a nice day at work," my beautiful wife said as she kissed me goodbye._

_I kissed her forehead in return before walking over to my fourth baby, my Aston Martin. Yes, it was a little too flashy but we were in LA for God's sake. Almost everyone here drove a luxury car._

_I turned back to see my wife smiling at me with the most heart stopping expression of adoration. I climbed into my car and with one more wave I was on my way. I watched her, from my rearview mirror, head back into the house, probably going back to make breakfast for our children,_

_Our house, like my car, was also on the flashy side. As I drove through the neighborhood, I surveyed the private, gated community, knowing that we had made the right decision. We may have a bigger bill to pay at the end of the day, but it was a small sacrifice compared to living somewhere less safe. My family was worth it._

_I hummed to myself all the way to work. I was a lucky bastard, and I knew it. I had a lovely wife to come home to, two children that were just about perfect, and a job that I loved. What more could one want?_

_I parked in the usual spot reserved for hospital employees. I entered the automatic doors and headed to my office before Nurse Mallory stopped me._

_"Edward, dear, Dr. Elezear needs to see you in his office. He said that it was important," she said, biting her lip. Nurse Mallory was more than a co-worker to me; she was practically my second mother. She was dedicated to her profession to a fault, and would no doubt still be here long after the rest of us retired._

_When I first started working here, Nurse Mallory was very kind to me, Bella and our then young son, Mason. She was naturally nurturing, it was easy to fall in love with her. Lauren, as she allowed us to call her in private, had the biggest, most generous of hearts._

_I nodded before silently making my way to Elezear's office. My happy mood tempered. He was the Chief of Staff and it was never a good thing to be called to his office. I couldn't help but feel like a 12-year old being sent to the principal's office._

_My mood darkened as I entered. Leaning against his large oak desk was Elezear, his eyes determined, but tinged with a little bit of remorse._

_I held my head high as I walked in. Just as I was about to open my mouth to say something, I caught sight of familiar greasy blond sporting that goddamned smirk. Instinctively, my blood boiled as unconsciously I balled my fists. Why the fuck was James Steele here?_

_I had no respect for the man. Thankfully, this hospital was big enough that we rarely crossed paths. Only by the good fortune of marriage, and a fat trust fund, did an asshole like him ever land a job with one of the best hospitals in Los Angeles. What can I say?_

_In a world like ours, once you have money, you have everything. Not everything, my subconscious subtly reminded me. My scowl softened as images of my family came into mind. As my Bella's gentle face appeared, I tried to contain my smug smile. James could bribe and be an asshole all he wanted, but he would never achieve the riches I had._

_Elezear cleared his throat before wordlessly pointing to the chair in front of him. I angled myself away from the blonde bastard beside me and forced a smile._

_"You wanted to see me?"_

_He nodded before glancing at James. From the corner of my eye, I saw him smirk. What was that about?_

_"Edward it has been brought to my attention that there was some kind of altercation last weekend. Care to explain?" he asked in his most authoritative voice._

_I swallowed heavily, realizing far too late that there would be repercussions to my actions last Saturday. I tried to play cool. Maybe I could charm my way out of this?_

_"There is nothing to explain, really. Dr. Steele behaved inappropriately with my wife, and I simply came to her defense," I stated, my tone neutral._

_I heard James growl in what I assumed was anger. What was he? A fucking dog?_

_"What the hell are you talking about, Cullen? I did no such thing," James barked._

_"James," I said, as if speaking to a petulant child, "You were harassing my wife, and you know it."_

_His body language told me I was getting to him. He straightened up as he tried to breathe evenly. Then suddenly, his flushed face formed into that all too familiar smug expression. "Me? Harassing her? It seemed like she was enjoying herself to me," he taunted before continuing, "It's not my fault you leave your wife…unsatisfied. After all, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if she went running to arms of another man. She's too fine to end up with a fucker like you."_

_"Why you son of a -" I started, my ire rising as I struggled to maintain control._

_"Edward, you are well aware of Hospital policy," Elezear stated, effectively cutting me off, "Violent behavior, of any kind, will not be tolerated."_

_I stared at him in disbelief. "Just because that bastard was married his spoiled daughter; I was the bad guy here?"_

_I had said that out loud. Elezear's face flushed in anger before his usual calm and collected façade broke away. He pushed off from his desk, his finger wagging in my face, and I braced for the onslaught._

_"How dare you insult my daughter!" he shouted, before jamming his thumb in James' direction, he continued, "James loves Victoria. I was prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt, but your blatant lack of respect, coupled with your violent attack on my son-in-law, you leave me with no choice. Good-bye Dr. Cullen."_

_"What do you mean 'good-bye'?" I asked incredulously, **"You're firing me?"**_

_It was like being stuck in a bad dream. I never thought for one minute that James would go whining to Elezear after our altercation. I didn't think James had the balls. Elezear nodded, reiterating, "I'm sorry Dr. Cullen, but it is policy."_

_I shook my head in disbelief. I was losing my job. A job that I loved for one reason, nepotism._

_"I can't believe you are firing me because I punched your shitty son-in-law for groping my wife," I said, defeated, "What did he do, threatened to divorce your foolish daughter if you didn't fire me?"_

_"Security will escort you to your office to clear out your things," Elezear said with a sigh, not meeting my eyes, "Human Resources will have your paperwork and final pay ready on your way out."_

_At the risk of sounding cocky, I had been the golden boy at this hospital. I knew I was one of Elezear's favorites. I worked hard. I worked smart and I saved lives. Until a few minutes ago, I would have thought there was no way that I would ever get fired. My record was clean._

_James let out a satisfied laugh. I resisted the urge to punch him a second time; I left the room without another word. I still had my pride. If this hospital didn't want me then I was just going to find another one._

**…**

Little did I know that finding a new hospital would be much harder than I thought.

After my termination, everything went downhill, fast. Bella didn't blame me for punching James, for defending her from his unwanted advances. However, we both knew that my hot temper, and acting without thinking through, cost me my job.

At the time, Bella had quit her teaching job, choosing to stay home with Mase, three, and Gracie, one. She planned to return to teaching when the kids were school aged. It had seemed like a good idea since my grand paycheck at the hospital was enough to pay for our expenses and have a lot left over for savings.

At first, we didn't worry. I was a graduate of Harvard medical school; surely I would have no trouble getting a position at any hospital. What Bella and I failed to realize was that this was LA, a place where one became successful by either their connections or their money.

Despite my unemployment, I convinced Bella to stay at home. Call it my fucked up primeval ways, but I was raised with the notion that men were the bread winners, so to speak. I was in complete denial, waiting for the phone to ring, certain that Elezear would hire me back. After a couple of days, and a six-pack beer later, I got off my ass, and pulled out my resumé.

During the first few days of my job search, I was excited; I visited one hospital after the next, expecting to be hired on the spot. I had great credentials. However, after a few weeks, and nothing but rejection, I was convinced that I would never get a job. Call me paranoid but I knew, just knew, that James and his family had something to do with my inability to find any hospital willing to hire me. I wouldn't put it past them, they probably put in calls to every hospital in California blackballing me.

I couldn't understand why James had to ruin me. His jealousy I understood, but I couldn't for the life of me rationalize why he could take things as far as he did.

James and I both attended the same college. We'd had an unspoken rivalry, often competing for the top spot. We ran in much different circles and I would have called him an acquaintance at best.

When Bella and I relocated to LA, and we coincidentally ended up at the same hospital, I could tell right away that James had his devilish eyes on my Bella. He coveted my wife, the mother of my children, the beautiful, kind woman wearing my ring. She didn't want him.

He foolishly made a move on Bella and got nowhere. Even in school, he was over-confident, and Bella's rejection made him almost…animalistic. When he wanted something, whether it was a scholastic award, or a taken woman, he was like a hunter stalking its prey, relentless. It didn't matter one bit that he was a married man, himself.

My opinion of James had always been low. He was all about the power, whereas my focus was on the medicine was to help people. James used his family connections and trust fund to buy his way through life. I preferred hard work, and doing the right thing.

I would have hoped that my record as a physician would have held its own merit. Alas I was up against, an over indulgent father, a spoiled and vapid daughter, and her sadistic power hungry spouse, who just happened to hate me. I allowed James to get the better of me, he knew my weakness: my wife, and he used that against me. I was embarrassed by my behavior that day, hitting James and ultimately losing my job because of it.

Needless to say, no matter how many hospitals or clinics I applied to, no one hired me. After much arguing and a huge blow to my pride, Bella found work at the small coffee shop down the street. She had also put her name in as a substitute; her teaching job was long filed when she chose to stay home with the children. The downturn in the economy certainly didn't help either. She brought home a modest income between the two jobs, but we were still running through our savings.

Getting fired affected all aspects of our lives. Bella and I fought constantly. She was the reasonable one, wanting to down size, reduce our monthly costs. I was too prideful, wanting to keep up appearances though everything was crumbling around me. Finally, we had to sell one of our cars, but I was being stubborn and refused sell my Aston. We had to move out of our safe and secure neighborhood, relocating to a smaller home in a dodgy part of town.

All of my achievements were undone. Even our weekly outings and random road trips were cut out because we didn't have money to spare.

I was stuck at home, doing the laundry and cleaning the house. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a chauvinist, but I wasn't used to this. My children are my life, but as much as I cherished the extra time with them, I missed being a physician. I missed my calling: to save lives.

Two long years and I still haven't found a job. Occasionally I still put out feelers, only to be rejected each and every time. I was turning bitter with the realization that we may very well have to move to another state if I had any hope to get my career back on track.

Today, however, I had a glimmer of hope. I smiled. I had an interview at a county hospital, and I vowed that today was the day that I would turn things around. I was going to get this position and then everything would go back to normal.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor laundry and opened the small dryer, its contents nearly spilling out. I let out a loud curse as I saw my white button up shirt tinged with pink specks. I looked around and saw that the entire load was spotted with some kind of reddish-pinkish hue. Immediately, I found the culprit amongst all the clothes: my daughter's small fuzzy red sock. Just great. What the fuck am I going to do?

I had a job interview in two hours and my only white shirt was spoiled. I picked up the offending sock and proceeded to thump my head against the hard dryer. Three words came in mind: Fuck my life.

Suddenly, I felt the weirdest sensation; there was a strong breeze to my right even though the window was tightly shut. Everything spun around me as I held on to the dryer for support, and then it felt as if someone pushed me. I toppled over in the dryer as I the ground disappear beneath my feet. My stomach churned, like I was riding a roller coaster, only this time it was far from thrilling. I covered my mouth as I felt the unmistakable urge to vomit.

Then as suddenly as it started, the weird sensation disappeared. All I knew was that one second I was standing in my laundry room and next I was gone.

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**Beta: Random Loves**


	3. LA to Washington

**A/N: All Marcus POVs (a.k.a. chapters that talk about what's happening with the angel) will be in 3rd person POV.**

**Beta: Random Loves**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephanie Meyer is the proper owner of Twilight.**

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**Chapter 3: L.A. to Washington**

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"Oh shit! Is this really happening?" a man by the name Marcus said from the outside of the house. Whether it was because of his clothes, or whether it was because of his angel super powers, it seemed like all eyes turned away from him. Every time Marcus got close to someone, they would naturally walk away from the middle aged man without a second thought.

Of course a fleeting thought of why they were suddenly moving from their spot came to mind but it was gone by the next second.

"I could get used to this," Marcus thought. While he only appeared to be around 35, what many found out the minute they're around Marcus is that he was very unsocial, bordering on rude. Some considered him to be a cranky old man stuck in a younger man's body.

He didn't like being around people and grumbled when forced to be. There was a very simple reason as to why Marcus was the way he was. It all boiled down to one name: Didyme.

However, that's a story for another time.

Now as Marcus stood, as still a statue, outside of his newest assignment's residence, he released a small noise that was intended to be sympathetic. He had watched many missions take place over time and knew that every "transformation" was different, and never pleasant. Each one was transported into their new world in their own weird way. Once he even observed a particularly disgruntled girl transported when she just flushed the toilet. Marcus had never laughed quite as hard as when he witnessed that.

Now was not the time for laughter. His assignment was on his way to his new world and it was up to Marcus to explain everything to him. With a snap of his fingers, Marcus traveled exactly 3,670 miles within two seconds.

He opened his eyes, read the closest street sign and knew that he, along with Edward, was now in Forks, Washington.

Marcus felt the heat on his arm, and looked down to read the new message:

**544 Clearwater Road, Forks WA**

**Residence of Edward and Tanya Cullen**


	4. The Other Side of the Dryer

**A/N: I just had a reader express her worries for this story and how it's going to end. I'd like to clear the air and just tell you all that this _is _an E/B story! And there will be a HEA. But our dear Eddie has to realize his mistakes first so he can fix them later on. Bad things have to happen before we get our happily every after. This is _not_ a Cheaterward fic. So please please stick with me here and just wait it all out! Trust me, our sweet Bella will come in soon enough. Till next time. And please keep the reviews and love coming! It's been a great pleasure seeing all these alerts and favorites notes in my email!**

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Stephanie Meyer. I wish I invented Twilight. But I'm just one of the many players in her sandbox.**

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**Chapter 4: The Other Side of the Dryer**

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**(EPOV)**

"What the hell?" was the first thought that came to mind once all the spinning stopped. I was in a dark room, but it smelled distinctly of powdered soap and Downy.

I felt around and sighed in relief as I felt a handle. I pushed the door of whatever room I was in and covered my eyes almost immediately at the blinding light. I looked around the unfamiliar room. Did I somehow injure myself?

I looked at my arms; there were no red burns or scratches. Confused, I rubbed my hand against the sore spot on my head, a slight swelling. I must have struck something. Did I bump my head so hard that I was now hallucinating?

As a doctor, I knew that was most likely concussed.

I furrowed my brow, and began surveying the room. It looked like any normal laundry room, maybe a little bigger. Nothing looked familiar, I wasn't even sure of where I was. I quietly opened the door and peeked outside. This was definitely not my house. I looked down the hallway that led to a large living room. Panicked, I abruptly stepped back into the laundry room and closed the door. I closed my eyes and cleared my thoughts. Maybe when I opened them again, this nightmare would end and I'd be back in my own home?

I waited a few minutes and then opened one eye and then the other. I slowly opened the door a second time. Yep. Nope. No such luck. The same pristine and bright living room was before my eyes. I forced myself out of the laundry room and looked around. I walked over to the tan leather sofa and ran my hands along it.

The cool feeling of the smooth cushion was oddly soothing. It had been so long since I'd touched genuine leather. Most of our high end furniture had been sold off and replaced with more austere choices.

This house was huge. Not even our previous house was this large. Bella preferred modesty over opulence. She wanted a home with character and charm, rather than cold and museum like.

Thoughts of my wife caused a knot formed in the pit of my stomach. Where was she?

Surely she and the kids were here, as well. I forced myself away from any negative thoughts. I loved them, even though I didn't say it nearly enough. I loved them with my whole heart.

I was roused from my musings by the sound of footsteps. I froze, my hand in mid air as spotted the shadow of a woman at the staircase. I plopped down on the sofa, not sure what to do. I picked up one of the many magazines displayed on the wooden table in front of me. I flipped to a random page, staring unseeingly at the ad that was printed there.

I vaguely heard a woman's voice speak my name. "Edward. Mr. Edward...are you all right? You don't normally read in here. Especially those magazines..."

I muttered a quiet, "Shit," before lifting my eyes reluctantly to the face of the speaker, a woman wearing a classic maid outfit, her hair pinned up in a neat bun. She had warm, brown eyes, fine lines revealing her age. She smiled at me, surely in response to my deer-in-headlights expression.

She dropped the basket she was holding and softly pressed the back of her hand my forehead. "You okay, dear? Did you have a hard day? You seem a little…out of sorts."

I nodded jerkily, not having a clue on what to say.

"Well, you better go and get changed. You have a party to go to this evening, and Mrs. Cullen will have your head unless you look anything less than perfect," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Mrs. Cullen? There were only three Mrs. Cullen she could be talking about. Either it was Rosalie, who married my brother, Emmett, my mother Esme, or it was Bella. While Rosalie was a bit on the diva and high-maintenance side, I was positive she didn't know this woman, and there was sure as hell no way that she was talking about Bella. My wife didn't care much for pretence and would never hire a maid.

Before I could utter a response, a high, yet faintly familiar voice resonated from below.

"Carmen! I need your help!"

I scrunched my brow.

"Yes, Mrs. Cullen. I'll be right down," Carmen replied over her shoulder. She turned to me and rolled her eyes, causing me to furrow my brow deeper. I found it hard to fathom that this gentle woman would ever roll her eyes in disdain. With a mock curtsey, she sighed deeply before sluggishly heading down the staircase. What was that about?

Completely baffled, I followed behind Carmen, but keeping a safe distance. I stopped to lean over the railing, catching a glimpse of the women below. Again, I was struck with a faint flush of familiarity, but I pushed it back. She was a stylish blonde, her hair pin-straight, and everything perfectly in place. I had encountered many a blonde in my lifetime, and it was often hard to tell one from another. Surely, this wasn't ...

As if sensing my gaze, the woman looked up at me and smiled, in what I could only assume intended to be flirtatious. Then it hit me. Striking blue eyes. My jaw dropped from the shock. Staring back at me were the piercing eyes of someone that I had never imagined seeing ever again.

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**Beta: Random Loves**

**I promise the chapters are going to get longer. It's just taking some time to introduce everything and everyone.**


	5. Guardian Angel

**Chapter 5: Guardian Angel**

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**(EPOV)**

"Close that mouth, son, you just might catch flies," a masculine voice said from behind me.

I whipped around so fast that that my sight blackened. For the second time in what seemed like two minutes, my jaw dropped. Standing before me was a man who looked…ordinary. He was dressed almost too casually in his well worn sweater and crinkled pants. He looked out of place in such an opulent house.

I furrowed my brow once again. Who was this man and why did he just call me 'son'?

"I just hope you're tougher than you look because you're in for a big surprise. I have a great deal of shit to explain to you, and we are a bit pressed for time, as I know your wife has plans for this evening," the stranger said with a smirk that I wished I could wipe clean off his face.

Again with the 'wife' comment. Who the hell was he talking about?

I didn't see Bella anywhere…

Before I could say anything, the man took hold of my elbow and pulled me back into the laundry room. He had caught me off guard, and when he suddenly let go, I ungracefully lost my footing. I heard the man huff in annoyance as he leisurely leaned against the washing machine. I noticed him touch his forearm for a short second before he flinched away, and then gently cradled it as if he was hurt. The doctor side of me sprung to action as I blurted out, "What happened to your arm? Did you burn it? Is it bruised?"

He scoffed and then rolled his eyes at me. "Bruise? Of course not, boy. It doesn't usually hurt, but it did this time all jammed with your information. It took up my whole right arm and half of my left! I'm surprised it even disappeared..." he said while pulling his sleeve up.

I winced in empathy, his arm looked tender and flushed red, faint black print was scattered around it. Maybe he just had a tattoo removed? What did he mean about "my information"?

Noticing my stupefied expression, he spoke, "Don't faint on me but…I'm your 'Guardian Angel,'"

"My wha-there's no such things as guardian angels," I stated with a shake of my head, refusing to believe in such things.

He just rolled his eyes. "Listen, boy, I have a very specific job and it does not involve taking the time to convince you that there are such things as 'guardian angels'. I still have a lot to tell you and our time is running short. So shut you're pretty face and listen to me," he snapped.

Although he didn't appear that much older than me, something in his tone made me shut my gaping mouth and pay attention. He smiled satisfactorily before continuing, "As I was saying…" he coughed twice theatrically, "I've been sent here by Aro-"

I cut him off before he could complete his sentence. "Who's Aro?"

He glared at me, but sighed in defeat, as he answered my question, "Aro is my…manager of a sort. He's in charge of all angels – yes there are angels-" he piped in at my skeptical expression, "…it's his job to help us get our wings. And, before you ask, because I know you will, this isn't some cheesy shit you see on a Hallmark movie. I am not your typical angel. My kind, in our human lives, did something that changed our lives for the worse."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he did "that changed his life for the worse" before I was shot down.

"Boy, don't even think for a second that my situation is anything I'd care to discuss with you."

I nodded in defeat. Whoever this man was, he had the power to intimidate me like no other.

"Based on what I've learned so far, and trust me, I have learned plenty about you, you were on your way to making the same fatal mistake that I did. And, believe me," he said sharply as he stared at me intently, "…you will regret it. So, listen to everything I say and you'll be on the right track again when we are through."

I was more than confused. I thought he was going to explain things to me. His "explanation" only left more questions than answers. But as it was, the strange man ignored my lost expression and continued on. I was learning more and more that the man before me was not the kindest of his bunch.

"Now, I'm going to give you this opportunity to ask me questions, but make it quick. You're high school sweet heart down there is waiting for you."

High school sweetheart? I only had one serious relationship in my high school years...could it be? Was he really talking about _her?_

"What's your name by the way? How the hell did yo-…how did you know that Tanya and I were together in high school?" I asked, struggling to keep up, "Why were you sent here? What 'mistake' was I about to make that you're supposed to help with?"

I was listening to myself talk and wondered why I hadn't blacked out yet. I wasn't making sense, I knew, but I felt like my brain was turning into mush because of all the things he just said. "Can't you just tell me my 'mistake' and then tell me how to fix it?"

"Marcus is the name. You may not know the full angels' rule book…neither do I," he said with a cluck of his tongue and a shake of his head. It was almost as if he was speaking to himself. He then cleared his throat and redirected his gaze back at me, and continued, finishing in one breath, "But I'm pretty sure it's against the rules to tell you the mistake. Besides, the first step to fixing a mistake is figuring out what that mistake was. You can't fix something when you don't even know what needs fixing. Simple enough?"

I blinked rapidly as I stupidly motioned my head in what I hoped to be a believable nod.

"Anything else you wanted to ask? The clock's a tickin'," he goaded; motioning to the watch that I swore wasn't on his arm seconds ago.

"Alright…but, you didn't answer my other question. How did you know that bit about Tanya and I? How did you know that it was me you were supposed to guide? For all I know, you might have the wrong person."

Marcus held up his right arm and poked lightly at the tender skin. As if the sight of his pinkish arm would explain everything, he said, "By this."

Thankfully, he clarified.

"This arm is my connection to Aro. He sends me everything I need to know, or warns about things I need to watch out for. I get his message on this arm. Every time it heats up, it indicates that there is something I need to see."

I stared at his arm and hesitantly asked my next question, "Doesn't it hurt? The whole 'heating up' thing? Doesn't it burn you?"

"Not really…it doesn't hurt if the message is short. But when he gives me a shit load of information to read, now that hurts like a son of a bitch. Like all the shit I just now got about you and that Tanya's love life…so did not need to know that. I also didn't need to see how you broke up. I've seen enough bad endings to last a lifetime, and you were a dick," he shuddered.

Marcus was right. My last meeting with Tanya, or at least my last, last meeting, didn't go very well. I still remember how she took the news of our break up. She had been the first girl I ever came close to envisioning a future, but I knew that the odds were stacked against us. We had only been together since junior year. We were going to different colleges, me Harvard to study medicine, and Tanya was planning on a career in cosmetics. How would we would last through that kind of separation?

Suddenly, that thought released a torrent of other 'what ifs.' What if I had stayed with her? What if she and I had stayed together? Would my life be better or worse?

I shook my head, berating myself. I shouldn't be thinking about this. I was married to Bella, for God's sake!

Without conscious thought, my mind replayed the memory of my break-up with Tanya. Suddenly, the posh living room disappeared and I was transported back in time to a park with a younger version of Tanya sitting in front of me.

…

"You wanted to talk, Eddie?" she asked as I cringed. I hated that name with a passion and told her numerous times to not call me that but she never listened.

I nodded hesitantly as I wiped a bead of sweat, that had nothing to do with the humid air, and everything to do with what I was about to say, from my forehead.

"T-T-Tanya, I think it'd be best if we just separated and remained friends," I blew out in one breath before I could coward out.

I saw her mouth drop open as her eyebrows formed into a deep "V."

"What do you mean? I thought everything was okay, good even? Why are you ending things with me?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice.

I shrugged and took a deep breath, preparing to explain my logic, "College is less than a week away and I just think that it'd be better if we just went our separate ways. I have to pursue my medical degree and you have your own plans, too. I'm just making things easier. Trust me, this way no one gets hurt."

My next actions were cowardly. I couldn't even look at her, see her reaction, before I mumbled, "I'm sorry."

I took off for my car. Once I was safely inside, I let out the gust of breath I was holding. I didn't want things to end this way, but I believed that a long distance college relationship wasn't going to work for us. With that thought firmly in mind, I started the ignition and drove away from my bewildered high school girlfriend…convinced that what I had just done was for the best.

…

I had some guilt saying goodbye to Tanya the way I did, without even bothering to give her any forewarning. I was thoughtless, selfish and young. I thought that I would be sad when I got to college, that I would miss Tanya. I wasn't and I didn't. Freshmen year was spent concentrating on my studies, exploring the entirely new world I was exposed to, and discovering who I was.

During the middle of sophomore year, I got reacquainted with Bella. We both just happened to be home for the holidays. I first spotted her, but hadn't recognized her, at a gas station just outside of Seattle. At the time, I hadn't even recognized her ancient red truck. She had made an impression though, thinking that I knew her from somewhere, but I just couldn't place where. As I passed her in my shiny silver Volvo, I didn't notice that we were essentially heading in the same direction, Forks.

The pretty brunette from the gas station was still on my mind as I grudgingly got ready for my parents dinner party. The police chief and his daughter, Bella, would be among the guests. I remembered Bella as a shy, quiet girl who had run in entirely different circles from me. I didn't know her well at all despite her dad and my parents being good friends.

I was pleasantly surprised when the enchanting girl from the gas station, Bella, walked through the door. I smiled. She sure had grown up. She smiled back. We talked. We dated. Before I knew it, I was in love.

My relationship with Tanya had been slow and steady. It was junior year before we even noticed each other. She was the captain of the volleyball team, while I was just one of the geeky boys playing in the orchestra. It was a wonder we even got together at all.

However, with Bella...I think I fell in love at first sight, or nearly. Only a few hours together at a dinner party and I was I was asking her out.

Everything with Bella was different. Comparing the two, Tanya was a on the athletic side, whereas Bella had never once played a sport and never planned on doing so. Her clumsiness and her sheer bad luck was a true recipe for defeat for any team she was on. Tanya was always strict and so ridged about what she ate, because she needed to keep in top shape, Bella ate whatever she wanted and seemed to naturally burn calories. Tanya looked like a model with her tall frame and sharp blue eyes, while Bella looked more like the girl-next-door, with her heart-shaped face, warm brown eyes and slender frame.

With Bella's endearing clumsiness, dry sense of humor, gentleness, and kindness, it took no time at all to fall in love with her.

The knot in my stomach tightened once more as her image flashed in my memory.

I couldn't remember the last time I told Bella that I loved her…nor could I remember the last time she said it back. Our busy schedules and never-ending responsibilities caused us to scarcely even see each other. In fact I couldn't remember the last time we had a real conversation…a conversation that didn't involve discussions about the kids or our debts. Off the top of my head, I couldn't remember the last time we'd gone on a date, or done something romantic, just the two of us. Date nights were now impossible, because we didn't have that much time or money for such indulgences. Back when I was a successful doctor, I took Bella, and the kids, out all the time. Whether it was something small like going to the movies, or dining out at a fancy restaurant. We always made time for each other.

What_ had_ I done since losing my position with the hospital?

I became jaded with my self-pity, and in the process made everyone around me miserable. I lost interest in everything, and just stopped giving a shit. Instead of trying to work with what we had; I chose to brood and expected things to go back to normal once I got a new position.

My thoughts were interrupted by Marcus as waved his hand in front of my eyes, and shouted, "Earth to Edward!"

I nodded mutely as the guilt over what I let myself become washed over me. What I had done to my happy family.

"Son, you need to stop staring into space and go down stairs. Your wife is expecting you."

My eyes widened, and I asked in rapid succession, "What do you mean? I'm staying here? I'm stuck in this place? You have to tell me how to get back!"

Marcus held up his hand, putting a stop to my mini-rant, and explained vaguely, "M'boy, the only thing I will tell you is that you will stay here…in this alternate universe. You are going see what your life would have been like had you made a different choice that day in the park. When you are done, if you had learned from your mistakes, then you will have a new choice to make."

"What do you mean 'new choice to make'?" I asked, my eyes bugging out in alarm. I wanted to go home, now more than ever. I craved the hominess of my house, with Bella, and I ached to see her and our children.

"Trust me. You will see things here that will test you and your belief in wanting to go back to your old life."

Before I could reply, I was halted by the sound of footsteps. We both fell quiet and held our breath in anticipation of who was coming.

I let out an audible sigh of relief as I saw Carmen's face instead of Tanya's. For some reason, she didn't come very close to me, looking quite uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, she smiled at me and said, "Mrs. Cullen said that she wants you ready in ten minutes."

I nodded but did not speak; I had no clue where we were going or how I should dress. Carmen hastily left, while shooting a confused glance in my direction.

Once she was safely out of sight, Marcus cleared his throat, and said, "Lucky for you she can't see me. It would've been quiet shocking for her to see a stranger in the living room."

"What did you mean about me seeing what life was like if I'd made a different choice…" I hedged.

He shrugged his shoulders and responded, "I have no idea, but eventually you will have some hard decisions to make."

I opened my mouth to ask him to elaborate, but he cut me off again.

"Not now, son. We'll talk more later. You have to get ready for a party."

Party? What party?

I must have looked like a deer-in-headlights. He smirked and said, "You'll find out soon enough. Now why don't you get ready? You're room is the third door from the bathroom. Go straight, right, then left. Once you're done, go down to the first floor. There, Tanya is going to meet you at your first-floor living room. See you later."

"Wait! Where are you going? Are you going to be at the party?" I shouted before he could leave. Terrified that he might say no. I didn't think I could face this unknown without his help.

He mumbled a quick, "Yes." Then with a snap of his fingers I was left staring at nothing but air.

* * *

**Beta: Random Loves**

**A/N: In case y'all still don't know by now, I accept even anonymous reviews. So you no longer have to be signed in to review. So go hit the review button and let me know what you think of this story so far.**


	6. The Party

**Beta: Random Loves**

**A/N: I am warning you right now: Towards the end, something is going to happen that involves our Eddie and Tanya together. No worries, they _won't _have sex. _But_, even I cringed the whole time I wrote it. You don't have to read it but sadly, it was critical that it be written. This story is a E/B so please don't quit this as soon as you read the end. It _will_ get better, I swear.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Party**

* * *

I blinked rapidly as the bubble that encased Marcus and I popped. I clumsily stumbled my way to the room he instructed me to use.

I opened the door and was surprised to see that it looked rather…bland. The walls were painted a plain white shade, with black swirls embedded on each corner. There were no pictures except for one. Walking closer, I saw that it was me…or at least the Edward in this world posing with his parents outside of their house in Forks. Automatically, I knew that this picture wasn't taken in my old world as my parents and I weren't talking at the moment. Well...we hadn't been speaking terms for a while.

_Whose fault is that, Cullen? Weren't you the one who refused their help after getting fired? Don't go thinking you're innocent_, my conscious piped in.

I shook my head. Yes, my parents and I had been having troubles for quite some time, but now was not the appropriate time to reflect on my on-going family crisis.

I ignored the picture and looked around some more. I felt my eyebrows scrunch in confusion as I located no more pictures. Weren't Tanya and I married?

Surely, we would have pictures around here somewhere…

After finding none, I decided to just ignore that fact. One step at a time. I walked over to the closet and found only men's clothes. My confusion became more evident. This was just getting weirder and weirder. First no pictures of us together and now no women's clothing in the closet? Was this world as fucked up as the one I just left?

She probably just stored her clothes in a bigger closet elsewhere…Women, you know?

Of course, a woman like Tanya would surely not be willing to share a closet. If her love for shopping and fashion back then was an indication of how she was now, she most likely had too many clothes to fit in one closet.

I smiled, satisfied with my thinking. I thumbed through the clothes, noting brands that I hadn't seen nor worn in nearly two years. Gucci, Armani, loafers made in Italy…

I spotted a beautifully cut Armani tux that looked fresh from the dry-cleaners. Underneath the suit was a complimenting pair of black dress shoes. Another rack held a selection of white shirts; I selected an appropriate one, enjoying the feel of quality silk. On a hunch, I opened the top dresser drawer, and there it was, a vintage Rolex.

I changed into the selected outfit, admiring its perfect fit. Just as I was snapping the clasp of my Rolex, I heard a knock outside of the door. A minute later, Carmen's face appeared in the entry. She gave me a once over before meeting my eyes and strangely, her expression conveyed…surprise.

Things just were getting stranger and stranger by the minute. It was obvious that the Edward that lived this life was filthy rich. Wasn't it normal to attend parties? Why was Carmen so surprised to see me dressed for one?

"What's wrong? Why do you look so surprised?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.

She shrugged and started to reply, "I guess I'm just-"

Before Carmen could finish she was interrupted by the high shrill of Tanya's voice. Carmen and I made brief eye contact, and then she just shook her head and continued, "Never mind what I have to say. Just have…fun at the party."

Carmen made a quick exit, before she closed the door. I swear I heard her say, "Good luck."

Ignoring her comment, I walked over to the mirror and straightened my tie. As usual, I tried to tame my hair but it was fruitless. Giving up, I blew out a breath and exited to the grand staircase to await Tanya.

I was curious, and a little bit puzzled, even downstairs there were still no pictures of Tanya and myself, nothing over our life together. Was that normal?

I stood, starring at the pretentious sculpture displayed in the foyer. I couldn't make out what on earth it was, when my musings were disrupted by that shrill voice once again. "Ready to go, Eddie?"

The long forgotten feeling of irritation hit me hard and fast. Geez, I guess no matter what world I was in, Tanya was determined to always call me Eddie.

I turned around slowly, afraid of what I was about to face. Once getting my full view of her, my jaw dropped. She was wearing an extremely short blood red dress that was covered in sequins. Her hair was curled and pulled to one side, expensive ruby earrings dangled from her ears and the matching necklace adorned her long neck. She looked like she was going to a night club. I thought we were going to a party? Was it a night club instead?

While collecting my thoughts, she threw her arms around me and I nearly suffocated from the pungent odor of her perfume. I froze. It just felt wrong to be hugged by this woman.

Less than a second later, she pulled back and shrugged her shoulders as if my lack of response was normal. Jesus, was I an asshole in this world too?

She looked back at me, and with a flick of her blonde hair, said, "Let's go."

She walked ahead of me, her high heels clacking against the tiled floor. I looked down to avoid staring at her hips as they sashayed with each step she took.

"Don't look. Don't look. Don't look," I chanted to myself.

_Why not? She's technically my wife…or at least in __this__ world she is. I miss Bella, and part of me was tired of not receiving any affection or attention,_ another part of me jeered.

Never in my whole life have I been stuck in a hard situation such as this. On one point, I don't want to look at Tanya or find out what our life could've been like. Every time I did, I was reminded of my life with Bella and the kids. At the same time, I wanted to enjoy this world and eat up the perks it provided. As much as I wanted Bella, I was also reminded of how lacking I was in that world.

From the sultry looks Tanya, had thrown my way or to the old luxuries I had to give up when I lost my position, I was finding this world much better than the one I left. Albeit, this world was confusing and strange, at least I was still a successful physician.

I hastened to Tanya side and opened the door for her. I may be a jerk in this world but I was still a gentleman. She walked on ahead, not even glancing in my direction.

Tanya was so different from Bella. Bella would've stopped and blushed a deep crimson at my chivalrous ways. If I had been an asshole to Tanya, it was naïve of me to think opening a door would erase my mistakes. Still common politeness wouldn't have killed her.

What _were_ my mistakes?

I was hoping to see Marcus later at the party, since he told me he was going to be there, and ask him to use his powers to find out more information. If that doesn't work, I could always ask Carmen, as nonchalantly as I could, what Tanya and I were like in this world.

Following behind Tanya, I closed the door and I was surprised to see snow. Back in LA, it rarely ever snowed, no matter how cold it got. Seeing the unfamiliar white substance made me wonder where I was. I berated myself as I realized that I forgot to ask Marcus what city I was in, or even country.

I was not surprised to find a limo waiting for us. I still had no idea where we were going, but based on how we were both were dressed, this party was probably high brow. The chauffeur had the door open for us and Tanya had already climbed in, not even waiting for me help her.

I stayed quiet during the drive to wherever we were going. I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to figure where I was. Surely, I would recognize some landmark or street sign.

We passed Miller Street, Wood Avenue, Fern Hill Road…nothing familiar, when all of a sudden I saw a street sign that that I knew very well, Clearwater Road.

I was in denial. Surely fate wouldn't be so cruel. I knew I was fucked. I was in Forks, Washington. I hadn't been back in a little over two years, the place where my parents still lived. My parents that I hadn't spoke to in two long years...

**-xXx-**

"Grey Goose, neat, and make it a double," Tanya ordered from the exhausted barman at the entrance the lavish hotel ballroom. They were the first words she'd spoken since we left the house.

I took in my surroundings. There were Christmas lights strung on the walls, and artificial snow scattered strategically on the ground and around the tables. In the middle of the room, there were a cluster of rotating elves and snowmen holding frosted shot glasses tempting the guests to imbibe.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out we were at a Christmas Party. This one, in particular, was for Cosmetologists and other people involved in the beauty industry. People from all over Washington and even Oregon descended on Port Angeles to party.

I trailed behind Tanya, not knowing what else to do. At first she sipped at her drink, but after a short while, she raised her neatly arched eyebrow at me. She raised her glass and asked me if I wanted a drink, too. I politely refused. I wasn't entire sure of what was going on, and I could tell that this crowd liked to party, and party hard. One of us had to stay sober.

I watched Tanya obviously scanning the room; she was looking for someone, probably one of her colleagues/friends. Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she hastily downed the rest of her drink in one swallow, handing me the empty glass. Abandoning me, she crossed the room to greet someone.

"Dimitri! Pleasure to see you again," Tanya squealed as she air kissed a tall silver haired dude. He grinned at her and returned her air kisses. He wasn't wearing the typical banquet attire. Dressed in skin tight leather jeans and fancy button up, he shot me an appreciative glance that made me shudder. It wasn't hard to guess what team he played for.

"Vassup honey. Enjoying the varty so far? Verry Kristmas," he replied with a thick Russian accent.

Tanya appeared to be half listening to the Russian guy as he spoke. She was roaming the room with her eyes, while bobbing her head to the loud and very fast song blasting from the speakers. She stopped as her eyes locked onto someone. I followed her gaze to a tall man with long blonde hair. I noticed her eyes light up at the sight of him, the Russian guy noticed as well and bade her goodbye, as the blonde made his way over.

Tanya made a tentative glance my way before the man reached her. I pretended to be otherwise occupied, and let her think that I was just taking in the scenery. She seemed satisfied and turned back to her friend. I carefully watched their exchange. They appeared to be more intimate than just friends. My supposed wife wasn't being all that subtle; she was clearly flirting with the man. He was certainly into her.

Tanya caught my eye, no evidence of guilt reflected in her blue eyes. She must think I'm stupid or blind. She walked away from the man without even a backward glance and made her way to my side. Leaning against me, her lips lightly brushed against my ear as she whispered, "How about we walk around, babe?"

She was a piece of work. I looked back at the man, by the sneer on his face, I'd say he was not amused. His hand was visibly clenched around the glass he was holding, fury evident in his eyes. Were they former lovers? Or maybe there was nothing former about them?

Without waiting for a reply, Tanya pulled on my hand while grabbing a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. She didn't spill a drop as she dragged me to another throng of people who were all dressed like they were members of some cult.

"Felix! Merry Christmas! This party is so much fun!" Tanya shouted, struggling to be heard over the loud music even though the person she was talking to was less than a foot away. Felix smiled at her before looking my way. For the second time this evening, someone looked at me in surprise, an expression of utter shock on his face.

Before I could ask him why he looked so surprised, Tanya asked, "So how is that 'celebrity' patient doing?"

She didn't wait for an answer.

"I had this woman come in for a nose job. Of course I told her I could do it, but honestly that nose ain't gonna get any prettier. No matter how many surgeries she has." she cackled, probably not realizing that I could hear her.

I was shocked. Tanya was a surgeon? How on earth did that woman get herself an MD? Did that mean I was a doctor, too?

I looked at her differently in that moment. A cosmetic surgeon, I didn't think she had it in her. I snapped out of my musings. Tanya was swaying a little too unsteady to be considered dancing. I noticed the empty flute in one hand and the half finished one in the other. Sure enough, her eyes were glassy and unfocused. She had started off with vodka, but soon switched to champagne. If she wasn't already, she was well on her way to intoxication.

I attempted to remove the glasses from her grasp, and said gently, "Okay Tanya, you've had enough."

She raised the glasses over her head, giggling as if I'd made some hilarious joke.

"Nuh uh, Eddie! I'm having too much fun!" she laughed, and with surprising strength, she jumped out of my reach, finishing off her drink in one go. She gave me a triumphant smirk, dropped the two empty glasses and grabbed another, all within the blink of an eye. Drink in hand, she shimmied out to the dance floor.

She had a crowd of admirers. Tanya's already low cut dress had somehow plunged a little further, to the cheers of many an appreciative man. I was struck by my lack of jealousy. I didn't feel a thing, well...maybe pity. Compared to the self-engulfing jealousy that I felt any time a man so much as even glanced at Bella, this was no comparison. I would have to keep an eye on Tanya and make sure she didn't get into too much trouble.

After a half dozen songs, Tanya suddenly straightened up and stopped dancing. Her gazed was fixed on someone behind me. I turned around and saw a woman with very long jet black hair that nearly grazed her hips. Tanya left the dance floor to give the woman a hug, stumbling a little, no doubt more than a little buzzed from her power drinking. They must have been quite close, as I was once again ignored while they giggled and acted like children.

That was how the rest of the night went. Tanya socialized with her peers while I trailed behind her, not having a clue on who she was talking to. She wasn't introducing me because I should already know who they are. It was draining. Tanya was deep in conversation with a red head, I took a moment to rollout my shoulders, trying to release some of the tension.

I had forgotten this part of society. Bella had no taste for it, and I was just now realizing that I was grateful. It was exhausting conversing with a bunch of vapid, pretentious people. We were all just a bunch of phonies. Air kisses, one armed hugs and meaningless conversations, in the end, no one really cared about anyone. I had been watching this crowd for two and a half hours; the doctors, like Tanya acting all high and mighty like they were better than everyone. The sales reps, working any and every angle to make another deal, even though this was supposed to be a social event. The gold-diggers looking for their next meal ticket. It was not my kind of crowd.

After being ignored for most of the night, I decided that I needed some fresh air, and a change of scenery. It was unlikely that Tanya would even notice my absence. Frankly, her annoying cackling was giving me a headache.

I made my way over to the restrooms, and very inconsiderately locked the door. I need to be along for a minute. I stopped at the nearest sink and I splashed some cold water on my face. I relished the quiet the closed door afforded, my poor ears grateful for the break. I sighed and then took a long look in the mirror. I hardly recognized myself.

In that second, I heard a loud click, and before I could pull focus, there standing in front of me was a smirking Marcus. "Your ears still working? Thank God you finally decided to come in here. I was afraid that I wouldn't get a chance to talk to you."

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Now would you mind telling me more about this mission of yours? You mentioned something about me regretting wanting to stay here? I don't understand."

"What I meant was that at times, you will encounter situations that will make you think that your life here is great."

"And...do you have any idea what those situations are…" I hedged, waving my hand, motioning him to continue. Jesus, getting information out of this man was like pulling teeth.

"Sadly, no. But it's pretty easy to figure out what will make you question your decision. Two things that most think they need to be happy: power, and wealth. From what I've seen so far – and yes I have been watching you. I am your guardian angel after all – you're falling for all the wrong things," he explained, pausing for dramatic effect.

I was baffled by what he was saying. He was making no sense, but that seemed to be par for the course...

"I'm warn-" he started, but was cut off by a loud knock. My eyes widened. I had forgotten that I locked the door.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered to Marcus. I slapped my hand against my forehead as my words echoed off the walls.

"You can't whisper for shit, boy. I'll be on my way now. I'll see you later. We'll continue this talk soon," he said as he raised his hand to no doubt to snap his finger and do his thing.

Just as he was about to snap his fingers, he stopped to look at his right arm. He pulled his sleeve up while I watched expectantly.

He read the message before looking back at me. Strangely, his eyes had lost some of its sarcasm and was replaced with…anxiousness?

He looked like he didn't want to share the message with me. I was having none of that, I cleared my throat and asked, "What does it say?"

"It's a warning. It's kind of vague, because it's against the rules to actually give away too much detail. I will tell you this: be careful of your wife," he warned.

"What do you mean 'be careful of my wife'? Is Tanya going to do something to me?" I asked.

Marcus just shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. But I suggest you heed this warning. Just don't do anything that you will regret the next morning or when you go back to your old life…that is assuming you ever make it back to your old life."

Another rap at the door caused Marcus quickly snap his fingers and disappear. I exhaled a deep breath as I mentally prepared myself to step back into the noisy room. I opened the door, my apology at the ready, when a sickly looking man rushed passed me and into the nearest stall. He reeked of alcohol and stale cigarettes. Not a minute later, I heard the unmistakable sound of retching.

I shook my head. I needed to get out of here now. If I could only drag Tanya home…

**-xXx-**

Thankfully, I didn't have to drag her home for when she caught sight of me, she asked if I was ready to go. I refrained from shout out "yes!" for the sake of being polite.

Tanya bade her goodbyes to all her friends, and then took hold of my offered arm. She stumbled drunkenly a few times before I was forced to wrap my arm around her waist to keep her upright. Our chauffeur must have spotted us in the lobby, because the limo already waiting for us.

I helped Tanya get seated and then I took one last look around. Everything looked so different...yet familiar. There was a long line of limos and cabs; I was relieved that people were being responsible.

I joined Tanya in our limo. I'd just gotten comfortable when she leaned her head on my shoulder and threw her right leg over mine. The vehicle gave a quiet purr as we made our way back to the house.

I glanced down at Tanya as she let out a soft snore. In her sleepy state, I wondered why I needed to "be careful of her." What in the world could a sleeping woman, who weighed less than 120 pounds, do to me?

**-xXx-**

I enjoyed the peaceful ride home; time seemed to fly by, as I watched the light snow fall from the warmth and comfort of the limo. I noticed the faint silhouette of the house...my house. I realized that I hadn't had a chance to fully explore my surroundings and silently promised to do so tomorrow.

The limo pulled to a stop and the chauffeur quickly held the door open for us as I exited the vehicle with the peacefully sleeping woman in my arms. Careful not to jostle her too much, I attempted to reach for my wallet for a tip. However, he waved me off and said that I could catch him next time. He tipped his hat to me, bade me a good evening and was off.

I made my way to the front door, and before I had to knock, or make a fool out of myself because I didn't know how to get in, Carmen opened the door. She was wearing a thick wool robe and fuzzy slippers on her feet. She pulled the robe tighter around her and grimaced at Tanya's drunken state.

She stepped to the side to let me in, and whispered harshly, the frustration evident in her voice, "Oh dear, not again."

'No again,' what did she mean? Did Tanya always get drunk?

Before I could ponder her words, Tanya let out a loud snore and then rubbed her face against my chest. I heard Carmen attempt to stifle a laugh, before closing and locking the door.

I had no idea where Tanya's room was. We didn't sleep in the same room together, of that I was certain. Though I had no idea why. It was one of the many questions I intended on asking Marcus, or try and find out on my own.

Just as I was about to give up and ask Carmen where Tanya's room was, she clamped her hand over her mouth, no doubt trying to hide her yawn. I glanced over to the wall clock and I saw that it was way past midnight.

"I've got her. Why don't you go back to sleep? You must be exhausted," I said quietly.

She gave me a thankful nod before bidding me a goodnight as she walked over to her room at the end of the hallway.

It felt weird to me having someone, who wasn't family, living in the house. In my other world, when I was still a doctor and living the high life, Bella told me explicitly that she didn't want a maid or a housekeeper. Bella wanted to do things herself. Even after we had Mason, she didn't want someone else taking care of our children. If we needed to go somewhere without our two angels, Bella and I made sure to leave them with a good babysitter.

My lips turned into a smile as I remembered how Bella grilled each babysitter and how her Mama Bear side always came out when it came to our children's safety.

My smile faltered. Why in this world did we need a maid? Carmen was nice and all but Tanya and I didn't have any children, so why did we need a housekeeper? Was it because of our busy schedules?

Of course you can't attend parties everyday and there were always our day off…

I dropped my train of thought as I climbed the stairs. Hopefully, Tanya's room was in the second floor. I didn't see her room on the third floor when I was up there…I shifted her in my arms before walking over to the sitting room in the open floor, and gently laid her down on the plush sofa. She didn't even stir.

My hands now free, I tiptoed blindly around the cavernous second floor, with only the dim moonlight to guide me. I had no idea where the light switches were. As I was running my hands along the smooth wall, I bumped my knee on a hard table. I let out a not-so-quiet curse as I bit my lip in pain.

Thankfully, my hands grasped a round doorknob. I twisted it and found it unlocked. Opening the door, I saw, from the dim light coming through the high window, that it was only a bathroom. I noticed three switches on the wall and flipped one of them. My hands scrambled to correct my mistake as I ended up turning on the fan that made a deafening whoosh noise in the quiet house.

I flipped another switch and breathed a sigh of relief as the light come on. I left it on and the open while searched the other nearby rooms. The next door was some kind of storage room, the one next to it was a cluttered office and the next door. Opening it, I saw that it was a movie room.

I sighed in defeat. I couldn't very well search this house all night. I glanced at my watch and it was almost three o'clock. After all this fruitless searching, I wouldn't get any sleep, and I was planning to get up early to investigate. I didn't want to wake up the whole house…even if there were only three of us living here.

I returned to the sitting room, and gently shook the still sleeping Tanya.

"Tanya? I'm sorry to wake you but could you show me where your room is?" I asked, hoping that in her sleepy state, she wouldn't have the sense to ask me why I didn't know my way around.

"Mhhm? I don't care…take me to your room…" she replied, her voice thick with sleep.

Without another word, I lifted her in my arms and climbed the third pair of stairs. I had been right. In this world, I didn't share a room with my wife.

She twined her arms around my neck as I shifted her so I could open the door. I flipped the light on, before dropping her carefully on the bed. I heard her groan before covering her eyes with the back of her hand, tilting her eyes away from the harsh light.

Having a great deal of experience with Bella, I slowly removed Tanya's heels, assuming that her feet were probably sore. I tried to keep my touch neutral, but when she shifted unexpectedly, her dress rode up causing my hand to brush against her smooth leg.

My heartbeat quickened as my fingers danced across her creamy white skin. It had been a very long time since I had touched a woman who wasn't my wife in such an intimate way. Before I could do anything else, I saw her open her eyes, sleepiness suddenly absent from her blue orbs. A devilish smiled formed on her lips.

"Remember what Marcus said…be careful of her," my subconscious whispered.

I willfully ignored my subconscious as Tanya crawled to me rather gracefully despite all the alcohol in her system. My hand met the thin air as she moved her leg away. Not a second later, I felt her lips at my ear.

"Edward, baby, I know you want me. Even you can't hide it. Why don't you let go and kiss me? It'll be so much fun," she whispered in a sultry voice, before biting my earlobe.

Without volition, my heartbeat quickened and I lost my focus. My subconscious shouted, "Don't do it, Edward! You know you'll regret it…don't think with your dick. She's drunk for God's sake!"

My hands clammed up as Tanya awaited my response. When it became obvious that I going to do anything, she roughly grabbed my tie and then crashed her lips against mine. My lips involuntarily moved against hers. It had been so long since I felt a woman eagerly respond to my touch. I was starving for release. Since my downfall, my, once passionate kisses with Bella had turned to disappointingly chaste pecks.

Tanya's hand grabbed a chunk of my hair as she deepened the kiss. She pulled me closer on to the bed and before I knew it, I was on top of her. I was hardly conscious of my actions as my lips traveled over her smooth neck and I breathed her in. She smelled like champagne, perfume and all woman. She moaned, before wrapping her long legs around my waist. "Oh, Edward, that feels so good."

My pants stirred as I heard her words and felt her warm heat against me. I pulled back to return to her lips, and then everything went to hell. Her shoulder length blonde hair turned a beautiful shade of mahogany and grew, cascading down her back. Her pale lips plumped up and then turner darker and rosier, and when she opened her eyes, those confused ice blue orbs, transformed to the warm chocolate brown color that I knew so well.

The image burned into my mind, and my movements stopped abruptly. I froze. Bella...

"What's wrong, baby?"

The voice was all wrong. I shook my head. I felt sick. "I just think that we should stop…You're drunk," I said firmly, happy that I thought of reasonable excuse. While I would never take advantage of an intoxicated lady, that was not my main reason for stopping…whatever we were doing.

As I pulled away, she tugged my collar to pull me back. Fortunately, I was prepared and grabbed hold of her hand in mine. "No," I stated, I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I added soothingly, "You need to sleep, Tanya. You are going to have one hell of a hang-over in the morning."

I was ashamed. I should have put a stop to things much sooner. I shuddered to think about what would've happened had we continued. I was already consumed with guilt over only kissing her.

Tanya shook her head, her disheveled blonde hair flying around her face. "I don't care. I know you want me."

She was wrong. As tempted as I was a few minutes ago, I didn't want her. We may have been married in this world but we weren't happy. There were absolutely no pictures of us together, we didn't sleep in the same room, everyone was surprised to see me at the party, even Carmen acted weird when she saw Tanya and I together…

If that didn't indicate an unhappy marriage, I don't know what did.

"Goodnight, Tanya," I said, ignoring her pout and tucked the blanket around her. I grabbed a pillow and the throw at the end of the bed for myself, turned off the light, and left to camp out in the living room. I stood in the doorway and listened, less than a minute later, I heard her breaths grow even. She was back asleep.

I walked over to the couch, and stripped down to my undershirt and boxers. I wasn't about to sleep naked in these strange new surroundings. I settled, uncomfortably, under the throw, punched the pillow a few times for good measure, before glancing at the clock. It was nearly half past three and Marcus still hadn't shown up.

I sat up, determined to wait for Marcus, but after ten minutes my eyes started to droop. I knew that I wouldn't get any answers tonight. Angel or no angel, tomorrow I would take matters into my own hands and get answers starting the minute I woke up.

* * *

**A/N: Whew! It was so hard to write a scene like that with Edward and Tanya. You don't really think that I would let them have sex, did you?**

**I know that there hasn't been a lot of Marcus/Edward interaction but I promise he'll be back next chapter. After that, Edward will finally get his answers…**

**Now go please review and tell me what you think...**


	7. Revelations

**Beta: Random Loves.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Revelations**

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My eyes snapped open. I still felt sleepy, my head was throbbing painfully and I hadn't had a drop of alcohol last night. I recoiled deeper into the sofa as a pair of blue eyes stared unblinkingly at me.

"About time, boy, I thought you were dead. You certainly slept like a corpse," Marcus said, his impatience evident.

"What time is it?" I asked gruffly, rubbing the back of my hand over my eyes, trying to get the sleep off me.

"Half past nine. No one's awake yet so you have time to make yourself presentable. And while you're at it, you might want to scrub off that trail of drool you're sportin'," he snickered, cackling even louder as he saw me wipe off the non-existent 'trail of drool.'

"Ha, ha, ha, are you done with the stupid jokes at ass-crack of dawn?" I deadpanned.

He rolled his eyes at my response. "It ain't even dawn anymore. The sun is shining so it's time to get the day started," he replied in a ridiculously false cheery voice.

I decided to ignore him. The sun may already be up, but I deserved the right to be cranky considering I only had about five hours sleep.

"How come no one else is awake, yet? I expected Carmen to be up by now…" I asked.

"In case you didn't know, it's Saturday and while it's not technically her day-off, she does get up at around 10am on weekends."

"Okay, so why did you wake me up so early?" I asked, even I could hear a tiny edge of whine in my tone.

"Because, Mr. Sleepyhead, I was under the impression that you wanted some explanations."

Those words woke me up faster than any coffee could. I sat up straighter as most of my sleepiness went away. "I do. So what do you have for me."

He smirked at my eagerness. "Before I say anything else, I wanted to apologize for not being here last night. Or to help with what happened between you and Tanya," he said, in a rare tone of somberness.

My excited smile faltered as the guilt weighed heavily in my stomach. Before it could affect me anymore, I waved his apology away. I could deal with the guilt later but I needed answers now.

"Anyway," he continued, as if he had never apologized, "I got another message from Aro last night. Yes, it did have information about your marriage to Tanya, but it's not efficient enough…"

"What do you mean?" I asked. Any information, efficient or not, was better than no information at all.

"It means that while I found out about your marriage, it wouldn't be much help. Don't worry, I'll still tell you what I know, but it won't be enough to answer or explain everything."

I nodded. We were finally getting somewhere. "It's fine. Just please tell me what you know."

"As you wish," he then blew out a huge breath and started to explain, "Overnight, I found out that-"

He cut himself off, and tilted his head to the left, a look of utter concentration on his face, before continuing, "Actually, I think that it'd be better if we took a…walk somewhere else to talk about this. I can hear Carmen waking up and I don't want to delay this talk any longer."

He got quiet and closed his eyes. "Have some breakfast first and then we'll take a walk."

Puzzled, I stared at him. "What are you? Physic?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Nope, just part of my powers. Now get your lazy ass up. The sooner you get going, the sooner you'll have your answers. Now follow me."

He got up and walked around the unfamiliar kitchen with an ease as if he owned the place. I grumbled, but followed him. I didn't even bother to ask how he knew the place so well. He probably snuck around, and memorized the place while everyone was asleep. I bet he doesn't sleep at all.

I sat down at the marble counter, while Marcus got out a plate, a tall glass, and a spoon and fork from the drawers. He moved without hesitation as he placed the utensils before of me, and sat down across from me. I stared at the empty plate in confusion. There was no food and he hadn't prepared any.

As if sensing my skepticism, he simple smirked and snapped his fingers. There was a quiet click before my eyes widened at the sight before me. My empty plate was now filled with bacon, eggs, two pieces of toast with a glass of orange juice at the side.

I flashed my eyes at him, and asked incredulously, "You can do that? You're holding out on me. What else can you do?"

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I'll tell you sometime…or better yet I'll show soon," he chuckled, mysteriously.

I rolled my eyes at him and forked up some egg. He watched me eat while I struggled not to squirm under the scrutiny. Honestly, I couldn't stand being watched while I ate?

It was the most awkward feeling…

I'm sure my discomfort was plain on my face but he didn't turn away, smirking at me all the while. I hastened to gulf down my food. Ten minutes later, my plate was now empty. As I stood up and carried my things to the sink, I heard Marcus' chair scratch against the floor.

"I'll take care of the dishes. You just get dressed and meet me back here in five minutes," he ordered, and I smiled to which he quickly added, "Don't you get used to it, boy. I'm far from your servant."

I walked up to my room and opened the door quietly. Nestled in the huge bed was Tanya with her right leg thrown over a big pillow. Because of the sleeping woman in my bed, I tiptoed even more quietly to the closet and put on the first pair of jeans and sweater I touched. I grabbed the worn down sneakers I came with here and put them on as well.

I retreated to my room, quietly opening the door. Snuggled in the huge bed was Tanya, her right leg exposed over a large pillow. I didn't want to chance her waking up, so I tiptoed to my closet, closing the door behind me with a soft click. I was still awestruck by the size of this room. I quickly found everything that needed, and dressed in record time. If felt good having nice things to wear again.

As I contemplated where the en-suite bathroom might be, I spotted a closed door to the right of the wall of suits. Sure enough it was the master bath. I quickly brushed my teeth and rinsed my face. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to flatten it out. It was pointless.

I took a short moment to think of Tanya. I wasn't ready to face her about last night…I hoped that she had no memory of what happened, or nearly happened, between us last night. I slipped out of the bedroom, careful not to wake her, and joined Marcus in the front foyer.

"Ready?" he asked, and at my nod, he continued. "I'll explain while we walk."

I closed the door quietly behind us. Just as I was about to lock it, I paused, and then said, "Should I leave the door unlocked? I don't have a key to get back in."

He smiled in response and he held up a brass key. "No worries, it is taken care of."

I didn't even want to ask. I jammed my hands in my jacket pockets as I felt the chilly air against my face. We walked in silence for a bit, with only the sound of birds chirping for company, in the quiet neighborhood. Then Marcus finally spoke, "You may have already pieced some of this together. In this world you and Tanya married. However, your marriage is in tatters, in fact, it may already be damaged beyond repair."

"That much is obvious," I agreed, "But why? What happened to us? I don't really understand, the Tanya, I remember from high school was fine. Why would I not even try to repair our marriage?" The grown up Tanya may be a bit immature, and wild, but I shouldn't make that kind of judgment based on one evening out. Surely, she wasn't always that...crazy.

As if reading my thoughts, Marcus tilted his head in contemplation, and said, "On the contrary, there are plenty of reasons why you're marriage is on the slopes. Are you ready to find out?"

"Yes," I replied immediately.

"Fine, but remember, you asked for it," he warned before taking a deep breath, "From what I found out, in this world, you and Tanya stayed together. Instead of running away, you talked things through. She revealed her desire to study medicine as well. You found common ground and worked on your relationship, even through college."

I didn't know what to do with that information. I couldn't believe that our relationship survived. I had used college as an excuse.

Before I could ponder on that too long, Marcus continued, "While you were accepted into pre-med at Harvard, Tanya was accepted into the same, but at UC Berkley. She befriended all the right people, hung out with the rich kids. You had your fair share of arguments, but you managed to make thing work. Studying and your girlfriend were your main focus, it left little room or time for anything else. Even, your visits to Forks were cut off."

I frowned. From his tone, I deduced that my short visits home played a huge role in changing my life.

"With fewer visits home, you missed the chance to run into Bella," he explained, his tone filled with...sadness, "You never made it to that dinner party. You didn't talk for hours. You didn't ask her out. You didn't fall in love."

My heart rate increased. The results of one decision back in high school set off a chain reaction that caused me to miss the opportunity of finding Bella?

A heavy weight settled at the pit of my stomach as I braced for the next bit of information.

"Without realizing what true love felt like, you carried on with Tanya, thinking that what you two had was love. The years passed, and before you knew it, you both had your medical degrees. You were still on opposite sides of the country, your residencies in Boston and Los Angeles, respectively," he explained, "However, time continued to fly by and Tanya grew impatient for a proposal. I don't know if she loved you. It is hard to tell. From what I've gathered, Tanya is the type of woman always looking for opportunity, and/or the right people to advance her career."

My mind was swimming with information overload and it must have shown on my face.

"You'll understand soon enough, son," he said at my puzzled expression, "Anyway, you had just finished your residency and were considering your options, when one sunny day, Tanya unexpectedly flew to Massachusetts. She confronted you about your future together. Put on the spot, and without thinking things through, you proposed. She was ecstatic, while you were having second thoughts. You dismissed them as nerves."

He clucked his tongue at me disapprovingly, and gruffly continued, "Can't say I like this version of you much. You are a completely different person with this Tanya."

Without letting me respond, he carried on, "Not even a month after your engagement, you were married. The wedding, an extravagant and over the top affair, held in one of the prestigious L.A. hotels. You honeymooned in Hawaii. It was there that you agreed that neither of you wanted children."

Why wouldn't I want children?

Mason and Gracie were complete surprises, and being responsible for two young children took some getting used to. However, I couldn't fathom the idea of never wanting children.

"Don't ask me. I don't know. Like I told you, I have knowledge of your actions, but not the reasoning behind each decision you made," he said, guessing my thoughts, "So, after your honeymoon, you decided to return to Washington. You were offered and accepted a position at Forks Hospital, where your father worked and still works. With the help of her parents, and some influential friends as backers, Tanya started her own Dermatology and Cosmetic surgery practice in Seattle. You both enjoyed successful careers and were living the high life…or at least that's what everyone seems to think.

"Looking at you, everyone just assumes that you're happy. You make for a handsome couple, both acclaimed doctors, nice homes, and fancy cars, who would want more? Some might question why you don't have any children, yet. The speculation is that you are both too busy saving and/or improving lives," he concluded, with a clap of his hands, "So, that's what your life in this world is like. Tanya stays in your Seattle condo during the week, tending to her practice, while you are director of the E.R. at the hospital. Occasionally, you attend parties but it's rare that you go together."

"I don't exactly know how things evolved to this, but you might have a chance to find out later," he added, cryptically.

"Okay…so is that all? Why exactly is my marriage with Tanya in tatters? Is it because deep down, I regretted marrying her or is the combination of everything?" I asked, agitatedly raking my hands through my hair. I was frustrated, although I had some answers, I was left with even more questions than before.

"Probably the latter. But then again, Tanya has made an unfortunate decision, herself. In fairness, if you can call it that, it did happen long after you drifted apart," he said, lost in his own thoughts while looking up in the sky.

What was with him with all this vagueness and cryptic words?

"What did she do?"

His eyes met mine, sympathy evident in his gaze. Why did he look at me like that?

There was nothing worse than being looked at as if you were something to be pitied.

"What?" I asked a bit defensively.

"I think we best sit down," he said with a shake of his head, leading me to a nearby bench.

I waited expectantly. Whatever he was going to say, I would take it like a man. I was not a small child that needed to be babied.

"She cheated on you, Edward," Marcus admitted, saying my name for the first time.

I felt like I was punched in the gut. My breath left me. _Oh God, oh dear God_, I'm gonna be sick. I held my head between my hands as the world around me spun, my stomach churned.

"What? Cheated? Why?" I rambled, struggling to form words as the memory of a certain blonde stranger flitted through my mind. I _had_ been right.

"I know, but sometimes, things out of our control just happen. It wasn't like it was unexpected. It was wrong, she might even admit that herself, can you blame her? You hardly gave her a lick of attention. Frankly, I'm surprised that you're reacting this way. The Edward from this world didn't really give a shit," he said bluntly and shrugged.

I clenched and unclenched my hands at his words while the dizzying feeling swept out of me. "Of course I'm angry! Irritated! Annoyed!" I spluttered, "I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling but I deserve the right to feel! Christ, she's...my wife!"

"Edward, son, you need to calm down. Pull yourself together," he attempted to soothe me, "I think you are forgetting that your wife in _this_ world is _Tanya_ and _not_ Bella. I don't think it's a stretch to remind you that you don't love Tanya, in this world or the other. She cheated on you, not Bella."

Clarity, he got to the heart of my problem in seconds. Grudgingly, I admitted he was right. My anger at my wife for cheating was secondary to the fear that gripped my heart of the idea that I may have pushed Bella to do the same. Even Marcus said it himself. In this world, I didn't give Tanya the time of day and I had been doing the same exact thing to Bella in the other world. Where I was clueless about Tanya, I remembered every single one of my fuck-ups when it came to Bella.

Jesus, I'm such an asshole. I'm so sorry, Bella.

My mouth hung open at my train of thought. I had been too arrogant to admit, even to myself, that everything that happened in the other world was my fault. Now was not the time to dwell on the other world. I needed to find answers in this world, and then, if given the chance, work on correcting those aforementioned fuck-ups.

"Is that it? Her cheating was the final straw?" I asked, trying to get my breathing under control.

He nodded as he eyed me warily. "I'm not really sure…I'm positive that there is more to this puzzle than I even know," he sighed.

We were quiet for a minute, gazing out at the quiet street, before I spoke. "I want to do it."

"Do what?"

"I want…no, I _need_," I said firmly, "all the answers, a full explanation for everything. I need to find out the full truth before making any other decisions."

Marcus was looking at me intently. Was that pride I saw in his eyes? For me?

He wiped a non-existent sweat of his forehead and said, "Phew! I wanted you to find out everything but I wasn't about to push you into doing so. I didn't want you to suffer from info-overload," his tone was back to his normal sarcasm.

"So, how exactly am I going to get more answers?" I asked, with a roll of my eyes, "From Carmen? I can't very well just ask her…she'll notice that something weird is going on."

"You didn't actually think I wouldn't have a plan, did you?" he asked, flashing me his trademark smirk, before snapping his fingers. In his hand, he had a bottle of Sherry wine. He continued, "You, my friend, are going to ply Carmen with this. Only a little bit though," he shot me a warning glance, "…it will help her to loosen up some. Then, you can question her, but not _harm_ her."

I reluctantly agreed. I wasn't a big fan of over imbibing. However: _Operation Let's Get Carmen Tipsy_ was officially on.


	8. Drinks with Carmen

**Beta'd by: Random Loves. Thanks again for beta'ing this beast of a chapter! You're the best!**

**A/N: Here's the much anticipated chapter. Be prepared to see the lovely Ms. Carmen tipsy! Thanks for the continuous reviews, guys.**

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**Chapter 8: Drinks with Carmen**

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"So, what's the plan, son?" Marcus asked.

We had walked back to the house, and stopped at the front door. I burrowed my hands deeper into my pockets, trying stave off the chill. "I'll make her lunch, or maybe dinner, whichever works, and then I'll slip her the Sherry."

"You can cook? Are you sure? I said get the woman a little bit tipsy, not give her food poisoning," he chuckled with a rise of his brow, enjoying his humor.

"Very funny. Yes, I can cook, thank you very much."

"Well I guess you have to go now," he said, immediately sobering, "In the pantry, behind the cereal is the bottle of Sherry. Should that fail, next to the wine is…something that you might find very useful, if you're really desperate. Carmen is awake now, so just tell her that you went for a walk. See you later and good luck,"

I took a deep breath and used the key Marcus gave me. My cheek tingled as I entered the warm house.

"Edward, dear! Where were you? I was wondering where you were…" Carmen shuffled to me before engulfing me in a warm hug. Thankfully, I had the wits about me to return her hug. She leaned back and kissed each of my flushed cheeks, twice, before patting them affectionately. From how warm and normal she acted around me, I guessed the Edward, of this world, saw her as his second mother or at least someone he was very close to.

"Have you had breakfast yet, dear? It's already 10:30. Are you hungry? I made some French toast or I can fix you something else if you'd like," she said, causing me notice the heavenly scent wafting through the air. Although I did eat, I didn't think I could refuse another tasty meal, I am a guy after all. The walk in the chilly weather had managed to work up my appetite.

"Thank you, I'm starving," I replied, following her to the kitchen. We sat at the marble counter and I looked at the array of food she had prepared. In addition to the French toast, there was cut up fruits, bacon and eggs. The only thing that looked out of place was the blender with a disgusting looking greenish-grey fluid inside.

"What is that? It looks like…" I asked, but trailed off, not wanting to offend anybody.

Carmen chuckled at the look of disgust plain on my face.

"That, my son, is your wife's breakfast," she answered, before the laughter fell from her face, replaced by a look of concern, "Is everything okay, dear? Tanya has one of those protein shakes every morning…"

I tried to keep my cool while mentally berating myself. So much for not attracting any attention. I hastily took a bite of French toast, and answered, "I'm fine, it just looks nasty," Carmen was still looking confused, "This is delicious by the way."

Thankfully, she dropped it and smiled, "Thank you."

We finished our meal in companionable silence, and that was something, considering that to me, we were complete strangers.

"Is Tanya awake, yet?" I asked, quickly realizing I said something wrong by the concerned look on Carmen's face.

"She just left for Portland…she's presenting at the convention, remember? She's goes every three months," she explained cautiously, taking a sip of coffee, "She won't be back until the day after tomorrow…Did you forget?"

"I knew that," I chuckled nervously, "I just spaced for a minute, maybe I'm still a bit tired from the party last night?"

To my relief, she believed my lame excuse, giving me a sympathetic smile. "I'll bet," she smiled, "I have to admit, it was strange to see you two out together after all this time. I'm surprised you stayed out so long and came home together. I know you two are…"

No, actually I _don't_ know how we are! I bit my tongue to stop myself from begging her to elaborate.

"Mhmmm," I replied noncommittally.

Sitting in front of this woman who knew me so well, I realized just how fucked I was. I had no idea what to do next, where to go. What the hell did this Edward do besides not go to parties with his wife? Any hobbies other than being a rich asshole?

"Edward, are you still going to the gym today? I put fresh clothes in your bag," she said, helping me out without even realizing.

At least this Edward did something familiar. Even when I was a busy family man and doctor, in my other life, I still made time for the gym. What can I say? I had to keep up with my very energetic family. Although I had ample time on my hands after losing my job, I had to give up my gym membership for more important expenses. My exercising limited to jogging on the beach that was still free.

"Will you be back in time for lunch?" she asked warmly, "What are you in the mood for? Italian? Mexican? Japanese? Ch-"

"I'll make sure to be home by lunch. But please, Carmen, let me cook," I said, cutting her off.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes comically wide. She looked a little forlorn at her sparkling clean kitchen. Goodness, did no one have faith in my cooking?

"Positive," I stated, "What time did you want to have lunch?"

"Well, since we've just had our breakfast, how about 2:30? That will give you about three hours," she suggested.

"Sounds good," I agreed, and finished my last bite before taking my plate to the sink.

"Leave those for me, dear. You get on your way," she ordered, in a motherly tone.

"Thank you," I murmured, and then I was on my way.

**-xXx-**

"We have pasta, if you're thinking Italian, or maybe some breadcrumbs to make tempura, if you're going Japanese? I just went to the market so we have lots of fresh vegetables-" Carmen said excitedly, as she started rummaging through the fridge.

"Carmen," I said, cutting her off, "I did say that I was going to do the cooking. At the risk of being rude, please sit down and relax. For the next 20 minutes this is my kitchen."

"I'm sorry, dear," she said with a sheepish smile, "Aren't you tired from your work out? You must be exhausted. Are you sure you want to cook? I can whip something u-"

"Carmen," I said, stopping her again, "I'm fine. Let me do this." I put my hands gently on her shoulders and eased her over a chair. She kept stealing longing glances at the pantry. Jesus, she was just like Bella. She loved to cook and freaked out the minute someone tried to take over their kitchen.

"I'm not tired at all. In fact, I feel energized," I admitted, urging her to take a seat.

It was true. Granted, I was a bit sore. It had been a long time since I last worked out, but I did feel so much better. The workout had helped me collect my scattered thoughts.

"Fine, but call me if you need anything," she said, rising from her seat and moving to the sitting room.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Her back was to me, so she wouldn't see me scrambling to find everything I needed. I had no clue where anything was, but I muddled through. I did know my way around a kitchen.

An idea came to me. I retrieved the bottle of Sherry from the pantry and opened it, making note of a wrapped package hidden there as well. It must have been what Marcus was referring to on our walk. I looked around for an appropriate glass. I dashed out to the dining room. It was cold and impersonal, like it was hardly used. I grabbed two sherry glasses and returned to the kitchen. I poured a drop for myself and filled the glass to the brim for Carmen.

To play it up, I put the glass on a silver tray and presented the drink to Carmen. "May I interest you in a beverage while you wait, miss?" I asked, light-heartedly.

"Why, yes, thank you," Carmen replied, playing along. She took a tentative sip, and then smiled big. "Oooh, Sherry...lovely."

I tucked the tray under my arm, and bowed low. She let out a snorting laugh as I returned to the kitchen.

I decided to cook an Italian dish that Bella taught me to make. I boiled the pasta and started chopping some garlic for the Alfredo sauce. I used the portable grill, I found, to prepare the chicken. I kept an eye on Carmen, she was still sipping on her Sherry and watching a show.

I was confident that the food was going to be delicious, having made it dozens of times before. All I needed was to get one or two more glasses of Sherry into Carmen, and then hopefully get the answers I needed.

**-xXx-**

"This looks absolutely heavenly, dear! You did all this on your own? That's amazing," Carmen gushed, as she surveyed the spread. I pulled out her chair and offered a piece of garlic bread.

"This is delicious, Edward. Remind me to let you cook more often," Carmen moaned as she tasted the pasta.

"Thank you," I chuckled.

We ate in silence. I twirled some pasta around my fork, contemplating how I was going to get the conversation going.

"May I refill your glass?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Carmen emptied her glass and then held it out for a refill. I poured another generous amount, fighting the guilt that was taking over as the burgundy liquid filled the crystal glass.

_Now is not the time to listen to your_ conscience, _Cullen. Focus. Get some answers and then feel as much guilt as you need afterwards._

"Mmm..." Carmen murmured, smacking her lips together, "…that is delicious. I can't wait try your Alfredo."

"Dig in," I encouraged, fighting the urge to punch the air in victory.

She nodded before doing just that. I was full of pride as I saw her close her eyes to enjoy the taste of the food. We ate quietly, occasionally exchanging pleasantries. Carmen accepted another refill of Sherry, and a second helping of pasta. Suddenly, Carmen let out a loud belch. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth, and slurred, "Oh goodness...escuse me, that wuz terrible manners."

It didn't stop her from holding out her glass for another Sherry. Her eyes were getting a little glassy, but they still had a sparkle, and her cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue. A few strands of her caramel colored hair coming out of her usually neat bun, the Sherry was definitely having an effect. I wasn't going to need to make use of that brown package.

"Are you sure?" I asked, trying not to laugh, "Maybe you've had enough?"

"Nooo-pe," she replied, shaking her glass as if making a point.

"This will have to be the last, I'm afraid," I said, filling her glass and then pouring the last of the bottle into mine. I carefully monitored how much I had to drink. While I needed Carmen a little tipsy, I needed to stay sober.

Pondering where to start, I decided to ease into my questioning. I cleared my throat and began with a rather innocuous question, "Carmen, would you mind telling me the story of how we met?"

Even to my ears, my voice sounded shaky and nervous. In my whole life, I'd never purposely got someone drunk in order to question them. Thankfully, Carmen just smiled wistfully, and answered with a hiccup, "Of course, dear, but that question makes me feel so old. Anyway, I was working as a nurse at the hospital when I met your father. Unlike him, and you," her hand brushed my cheek, her eyes soft, "I didn't really have a love for medicine. I stayed because the pay was good. I was new in town and didn't have too many friends, your parents took me under their wing.

"In turn, I got to know you children as well, and over time your respective spouses. You all became my second family, well not you at first..." she wagged her finger at me, "Remember? You were so suspicious of me, accusing me of being a gold digger, and after your father. Nonsense! Eventually you came around. You are like the son I never had. You're very different from your siblings' loud personalities. We bonded. We'd always preferred silence over raucous."

It all made sense. I could tell that she and I were close. How do I ask for more?

I didn't have to press, Carmen just took a slow sip of Sherry, and continued, "Oh, I missed you when you left for college. I was proud that you were following in your father's footsteps to become a doctor, but every time you came home for holiday breaks, you looked more and more stressed. I blamed her.

"Needless to say, everyone was completely surprised when you announced your engagement. I, honestly, didn't think you would go through with it. The consolation was that after you married, you and Tanya came home."

She glanced over to me, but was looking through me, like she was lost in her memory. She elaborated, "I was ready to leave nursing. My heart was no longer in it, and that is when you, my dear, offered to hire me on as your housekeeper. Thank you for that by the way. I don't think I tell you enough."

"I didn't trust that wife of yours, so I was glad to be of help, to keep an eye on things for you," she said with disdain.

Had Tanya done something to Carmen?

"Why exactly do you…dislike Tanya?" I asked bluntly.

Carmen held the glass to hips for a moment, before chuckling darkly, "Dislike is not the word I'd use..."

"What did she do to you?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

"Oh nothing...and everything. For a start, she is a manipulative witch."

I flinched; it was out of place to hear such venom in her voice.

"I've watched her chew people up and spit them out, like she's superior to everyone," she added, theatrically tapping her chin.

My jaw dropped. Not in a million years did I think that I would hear someone who was so kind and motherly ever talk badly about another person.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, scrubbing her face with her hand, "I shouldn't say such things."

"Carmen, what did she do to you?" I repeated. Carmen looked me straight in the eye. Despite the drink I could see the pain behind her eyes.

"Not to me," she revealed, "You know, Edward...She hurt you in the worst possible way."

Would she have been willing to tell me these things if she was sober? Maybe she needed to get these things off her chest…

I sighed.

"If I've learned anything about her, it's that she knows what she wants and does not stop until she gets it," she advised, "When she was younger, she'd been a great girl with good manners. Once you both left for college, she changed, actually, you both changed, and not for the better.

"She whines when things don't go her way. She goes mad when you don't follow her instructions to the letter. She bosses people around, thinking that anyone who doesn't live this grand lifestyle is inferior to her. You don't see how she is with me. I have no doubt that she'd fire me if she could.

"She is so demanding. Did you know that last year she forced her assistant to work Christmas day, to write a report for the certification board? That poor woman slaved away in that office, when she was finally done Tanya didn't even bother to look at it until after the new year. She was too busy attending parties and galas and such," she finished, taking a long sip of Sherry while staring out the window. Apparently she wasn't done.

"She is a nasty woman," she added, her eyes were sad and angry, "When she cheated on you...I just couldn't take it anymore. We have an understanding now, she leaves me alone and I don't gouge her eyes out. She knows where my loyalty lies," she then looked at me square in the eye, "You can downplay it and pretend like it didn't really matter, but I knew that it hurt you… I never thought you two were a good match. Sorry..."

She must have assumed that statement would hurt me, too. It didn't. She continued, "The love may have left long ago, but you stayed faithful..."

I cleared my throat as I prepared myself to ask the same question I asked Marcus. "Do you know…do you have any idea why she cheated?"

Carmen huffed and fumed, "Not this again, you silly boy. Don't you go blaming yourself! _She_ is the one that strayed!"

I hid my surprise. Wow, I guess this Edward was also clueless as to why his wife cheated on him, and somehow felt responsible.

She sighed, as if reigning herself in, "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to yell. Who really knows the answer? Only Tanya, herself, I guess. However, you do tend to ignore her. You spend more time apart, than together. As a result, she found someone else..."

Why did this Edward ignore his wife?

"What did I do...?" I whispered.

"I'm not sure," Carmen responded to my somewhat rhetorical question. She took another sip of Sherry, and began, "At first, I thought you were working too hard. You do put in long hours at the hospital, even volunteering for extra shifts. From what I could see, there was very little effort from either of you."

"It all started..." she said, and then paused, as if trying hard to remember, "about two years out, now. You'd had lunch with your father, trying out the new cafe, I think, instead of at home as usual. I remember because you called to let me know, but when you came home after your shift, you went straight to your room. Didn't even come down for dinner."

"I thought she cheated on you then," Carmen, explained, and I wanted to punch the air in victory, but I stayed put, "But she hadn't. She was still trying to win you over at that point. You never did tell me what happened with your father. Come to think of it, you've been distant ever since. Are you going to tell me what happened, now?"

We both looked down at her empty glass, and then over to the empty bottle. We'd had enough.

So, something happened, with my dad, two years ago. It was a place to start. Was I even talking with my dad in this world...?

I was broken from musings, by Carmen's maniacal laugh.

"What?" I chuckled, "Is so funny?"

"You, you know!" she wheezed, her laughter getting out of control, "You usually work weekends when Tanya is home. She's in Seattle during weekdays," she looks at me like I should know this already, and I should, "You are most happy when she's away for a conference. You have the entire week to yourself."

I wasn't sure why she found that so funny, but she was full of Sherry. Anything would seem funny at this point, I suppose.

Carmen stood up and wobbled a bit, while she attempted to pick up her plate. Bracing her hands against the counter, she steadied, and then tried to pick up her plate again.

"Here," I said, rushing to her side, "Let me get that."

"Nonsense! You cooked. I clean," she giggled. She was getting silly.

"I must insist," I said, taking her hands in mine, "You sit, and I'll clean up," I paused with a thought, "Why do, you think, Tanya and I stay married?"

"I know!" she shouted, and then continued as if on a roll, "You should have divor-…you probably should have never got married. Hmm...if you ask me, I think she had the affair to get your attention. When things didn't really change between you two, I guess she took that as permission to do as she pleased. I was so shocked when you agreed to go to that party last night. You hadn't been in one for almost two years."

She was quiet for a few minutes, and then said, "I don't think she will ever leave you. Being a Cullen, even by marriage, has a certain prestige around here. It has opened doors for her, and opportunities she wouldn't have had otherwise."

I gulped down the glass of Sherry I'd been nursing all afternoon. A sudden dizzying feeling came over me, having nothing to do with the little amount of alcohol I just consumed.

Christ, what was wrong with this other Edward? Why didn't he just set her free?

_C'mon, Cullen…weren't you listening?_

Still, wasn't it only right that we at least divorce if we were that unhappy? Why were we chaining ourselves to a broken marriage?

I didn't ponder it long. In this reality, I'd never met Bella. This Edward didn't know what love was, true and deep soul melding love, like I did. _This_ Edward was okay with settling. He didn't know that _there was_ someone so much better out there for him.

"Edward, dear, I'm feeling a little woozy." she said, hiccuping, "I think, I will leave, the dishes for you."

She stood, once again, when her eyes fixed on something near the window. I followed her line of sight, to see a fly trying to escape through the closed window. Carmen started to laugh uncontrollably, watching the stupid fly repeatedly bang into the window, like it was the funniest thing in the world. As quickly as the laughter started, it stopped. She gave me a sad smile, and then quietly murmured, "Honestly, Edward, I don't understand why you married _her_ in the first place."

I didn't respond, because I was wondering the same exact thing.

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**A/N: Oooh, I guess Edward is finally realizing some things. Don't forget to leave a review afterwards! Even if it's just to say hello or something.**


	9. The Helpful Doctor

**Beta: Random Loves. Thanks a lot for making the chapter flow better and make more sense. You're amazing!**

**A/N: Be ready to meet a very familiar blonde in this chapter. There's a surprise waiting for you in the middle of the chapter. Hope you like it!**

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**Chapter 9: The Helpful Doctor**

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"Dear, are you all right? You look a little sick?" Carmen asked worriedly as she watched me just swirling the cereal around my bowl.

I tried to smile, knowing that it probably came out as a grimace, and answered, "I'm fine."

It was a lie. I was not fine. I was scared as hell just at the thought of going back to a hospital. Yesterday, when Carmen reminded me that I had a shift on Monday, I hadn't given it the focus I should have. I was, of course, thrilled that I was a doctor in this world, but I was more concerned with probing Carmen for information and all that entailed

I should have been more excited, ecstatic in fact, to find out that I have a real job at a hospital. In reality, I was a nervous wreck. What if I've forgotten everything I knew about medicine?

I hadn't practiced medicine in nearly two years.

"Well, you should hurry and eat your breakfast, dear, you don't want to be late," Carmen said, sipping her coffee.

I nodded, feeling my nerves multiply. I shoved the remaining cereal in my mouth which tasted and felt like wet cardboard.

After dropping my bowl and spoon in the sink, I quickly climbed upstairs to get ready. Once I put on my proper attire, I grabbed the briefcase that Carmen prepared for me, and left for the hospital.

-xXx-

"Good morning, Dr. Cullen. You are expected in room 58. Follow up visit on an arm injury," a nurse with frizzy brown hair said the minute I passed the automatic front doors.

I was relieved. Thank God she spoke first. I had no idea on what to do, or where to go, I was thankful for the direction. I couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic I had been this morning. Arriving at the hospital, I couldn't remember the last time I felt so excited and rejuvenated. Being here, the familiar scent of antiseptic was swirling in the air. I could feel the sense of urgency evident all around me. The tips of my fingertips were tingling, an itch I was all too familiar with when in a hospital setting, to help someone, to make someone better.

"Dr. Cullen, they're expecting you now," the nurse hedged, holding out a clipboard for me.

"Oh of course, I'll just be on my way. Thank you," I said, slipping in to doctor mode.

I made my way to the room, instinctively I knew my way around, having practically grown up in this hospital. When I was younger, instead of sports and play dates, I shadowed my dad at work, taking in everything I could. It solidified my desire to practice medicine. It was the only career I ever considered.

I tapped on the door, before slowly opening it. I was expecting to see my patient with the broken arm, but met with the kind, warm eyes of my father. I still didn't know if we were on speaking terms or not.

-xXx-

After we checked on our real patient, we made our way to the doctors' lounge. "How are you feeling? You must be tired, son, I heard you went to one of Tanya's parties," my dad chuckled.

I cleared my throat, trying not to seem like I didn't have a clue on what to say. "Yep, exhausted."

And that's how our short conversation worked. He talked while I just said the occasional "yep" and nodded my head at all the correct points. He didn't seem to feel weird about this but I sure did. In my reality, my parents and I hadn't spoken in a while and even if we did, we usually just argued.

_Come on now, Cullen. You don't argue. They tried to get you to move to Forks where… you know a good job was – and still is - waiting for you. You refused because of your misplaced pride._

"Son, you still with me?" he waved a pale hand in front of my face.

"Of course, just hungry."

"Surely you don't want to tempt dysentery and eat in the cafeteria?" he asked, making a mock retching sound, "Your mother didn't have the time to make me lunch. And, I'm so beyond inept in the kitchen, I didn't dare try to make something myself. So what do you say we head out for lunch?"

"Uhm," For the life of me, I couldn't remember if there was anything good around, "Where do you want to go?"

"I know just the place," he said, as we walked side by side out to the parking lot. Getting into the familiar black Mercedes, we buckled up and drove off. The radio played soft easy listening music in the background, while I looked out the window, trying to re-familiarize myself with the area.

I was happy to see my favorite diner, The Lodge, was still standing, only looking a bit older; the small yogurt place that my siblings and I went to every week was still there; I was surprised that the Newton's sports and goods store was still open. But there were new places too. There was a new bookstore called BB's Books on the corner across from a new café; the café itself looked both modern and cozy at the same time.

Before I knew it the car pulled to a stop. Looking up, I saw that we had stopped at a small burger joint. We opened our doors and walked in.

After ordering our food, we sat down at a corner table. "So, you excited for your wife's return this afternoon?" my dad asked. I was surprised to hear the heavy sarcasm in his voice. Christ, did anyone in my family actually like Tanya?

I could lie and say that I was excited but truthfully, I wasn't. After everything that Carmen had told me, I'm not sure that I would ever look at Tanya the same way ever again. And if I did lie, I'm sure Carlisle would see right through it. "Not really," I grimaced.

He nodded, not having the chance to say anything else because the waiter just came with our order. We both let out a simultaneous groan of pleasure at the sight of all the heavenly goodness before us. On the checkered table cloth sat two big burgers on a classic plastic red plate, complete with pickles on the side. The ordered was rounded out with some fries and thick milkshakes as well.

Carlisle and I enjoyed our burgers, not bothering with idle conversation. About half way through his burger he finally paused and wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. He looked down at my half-finished meal, surprise written all over his face. "What?" I asked, my mouth still full with food.

"Son, I thought your mother and I raised you better than that. You know how she hates it when people talk with their mouths full," he scolded with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes but swallowed my food nonetheless.

"Actually, I'm quite surprised that you ate all that," he mused, and rolled his eyes, "Doesn't Tanya usually forbid the consumption of anything that tastes good. Something about being fit is important for her image, and having a fat husband would hurt business?"

Immediately, my mouth turned dry even though I just took a big slurp of milkshake. She controlled what this Edward ate? How was that possible? They hardly spoke to each other…

I shrugged and tried to come up with an answer. "No one controls me these days."

And even when I said it, I knew I meant it. Even when Tanya gets back here and I finally get a feel of how things truly are with her here, I won't let her control me. Bella may have suggested things to me in the other reality, but she never out right banned me from anything, as if I was child without my own mind. A pang of longing hit me as I thought of my Bella and that other world. I was brought out of my thoughts when I noticed Carlisle's expression

"Wow, uhm, that's good to hear, son. It's about time you live your own life and not bow down to her every order."

Jesus, was Tanya a complete tyrant?

I guess Carmen hadn't been exaggerating. I had no response, so I just continued with my meal.

I cleared my throat once I caught sight of the café. My mind suddenly came back to something Carmen had said yesterday, that I had gone to the cafe and hadn't been the same since.

I noticed the cafe across the street. I had a feeling of déjà vu, but then I remembered something Carmen had said yesterday. Was that the cafe?

I glanced at Carlisle. _Here's your chance, Cullen_, I thought. I cleared my throat, successfully causing him look at me. "Dad?" I started, the name feeling strange to say. I didn't enjoy this kind of relationship with the Carlisle in my reality. I continued, "Do you ever go to the cafe across the street?"

"I do," he answer, an air of caution in his tone.

What the hell happened in that café? How do I even ask to find out, without sounding like I need a psych evaluation?

"Oh," I said, stalling on how to continue, "Uhm the coffee still good?"

"Edward..." Carlisle sighed. He looked lost in a memory, but what that memory was I had no idea.

**-xXx- **

**(Carlisle POV - two years ago)**

_"Instead of the Lodge, do you mind if we go to the new place that opened up?" I asked, as Edward and I made our way to the car, "Chief Swan's daughter, Bella, is the owner. She comes over our house sometimes. Real good friends with Emmett and Alice. Do you remember her?"_

_"Skinny girl, super shy?" he asked, hardly paying attention, as he fiddled with his phone._

_"That's her." I replied._

_"Sure, but I haven't seen her in a long time. You know how Tanya likes to stay away from Alice and her friends" he said, annoyance evident in his voice. And away we went._

_Once inside, I took in the atmosphere. It was cozy, but modern, had a young vibe about it. Her café was certain to be a success; there was nothing else like it in Forks._

_"Hello, Bella," I greeted._

_"Dr. Carlisle!" she greeted in return, a big smile on her face, "Thank you for coming by! What a great surprise!"_

_Edward finally looked up from his phone and acknowledged his surroundings. He didn't say anything, just stared at Bella._

_"Edward," I said giving him a nudge, "You remember Bella..."_

_"Huh?" he said, but quickly recovered, "Of course. Nice to see you again, Bella."_

_"You, too," she said, a pretty blush blooming on her cheeks, "Uhm...what can I get you?"_

_"Venti Dark roast?" Edward ordered, as if he was at a Starbucks, not realizing that this was a small café and **not ****Starbucks. **I noticed Bella cringe._

_"You should try our new peppermint mocha," she suggested, her face fresh and cheerful, "It's my own blend, I'm trying it out for the holidays."_

_At first, he let out a huff of annoyance. His coffee was the only thing Tanya didn't ban him from being careful of consuming. I jumped in and said, "I'd love to try it, Bella."_

_She beamed, and we both turned our attention to Edward. "Fine," he said rudely, but stopped when he looked at her again, "I mean, thanks, I'll give it a try too."_

_"You two catch up," I offered, "I'll go grab us a seat. It can get quite busy in here."_

_I took a seat and left them to their conversation. Bella talked excitedly about her business venture as she whipped up the drinks. She was the best damned barista I'd ever seen. I think I heard a tidbit or two about college. Edward filled Bella in on the last few years. I was surprised to see his usually pale cheeks blooming as Bella complimented him about his job as a doctor. It was more what he wasn't saying that I noticed. He didn't talk about Tanya, his life with her even with his wedding ring sitting on his left hand._

_It was like magic. My son fell in love._

**-xXx-**

**(EPOV)**

"My marriage isn't..." I started to explain, after Carlisle told me everything, but the words were lost.

"I understand, son," Carlisle responded, "I think you nailed it when you first saw her. Remember? You said that the heart wants what the heart wants. Bella is a complete sweetheart. It is impossible to know her and not love her."

What the hell? This Edward was in love with Bella, too? He just fell out of love with Tanya because he met and fell in love with a stranger?

I reminisced once again about my own encounter with Bella. Of course, he fell in love with her, too. We can't help it. However, this Edward is married to Tanya. I know that neither of us is the unfaithful type. He must have coped by staying away...

As I caught Carlisle's gentle smile in response to Bella, the guilt twisted heavily in my stomach. Even in my other world, both Esme and Carlisle loved Bella and the kids. I always joked that they loved them more than they loved me but I knew it was true. It was all my fault that there was now a rift between my parents and me. I was the one keeping them from their daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

"Dad...I..." I said, grasping for words.

"Son, I knew from the moment I first saw your mother that she was the one," he interrupted, before finishing off the last of his milkshake, "Why does it seem so unbelievable to you? I'm not suggesting that you jump into an affair. Far from it. I'm just saying that...it's okay if you feel it's time to move on. You know your mother was divorced when I met her...sometimes people do get a second chance."

Was my father really giving me his blessing to divorce?

"…But, son, you _can't _be with Bella. Move on with someone else, get away from Tanya, but don't try to move on to Bella. Trust me, it's complica-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Carlisle burped quietly, finishing the last bit of his food, not even finishing his sentence. I knew he didn't want to say anymore. I took the opportunity to ask a question that was nagging me for quite some time. One I had been too afraid to ask my father in the other reality.

"Dad, if I decided to relocate to a new city, say I got offered a lucrative position at a major hospital," I started, "and say I didn't have quite the success I'd anticipated. Would you...would you resent me in some way for not being able to continue my success so easily?"

I held my breath as I waited for his answer. He seemed baffled by my random question, and just stared at me. After two seconds of silence, I felt my heart rate increase. Finally, he answered, "Of course not, son. Failure is just another opportunity to learn and grow. You can always count on your mother and I to always be there for you, even when you have hard decisions to make."

I suspected that we were taking about two different things, but the sentiment was the same. It was painful to realize, and accept, that in my other world, I had let my family suffer because of my goddamn pride. I had thought that they would see me as a failure if we moved back to Forks. If we had moved back, I would have had a job at the hospital, and my entire family here to support us, would our lives have been different? Would my marriage with Bella been better?

Now more than ever, I was questioning myself. Instead of only having one issue regarding Tanya, in this reality, I was now starting to doubt the decisions I'd made, or didn't make in this case, after losing my job in the other reality.

Right then and there, I made a decision to go and see for myself. Tomorrow I was going to Bella's cafe.

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**A/N: Finally! Edward finally gets his answers. Be ready for Bella's first appearance and for some E/B interaction.**

**Surprise! A Carlisle POV in there. You have my beta, Random Loves, to thank for that one. I don't know if I'm ever going to have any other POVs besides Marcus and Edward's. You'll just have to wait and see!**


	10. Empathy

**A/N: Because of all the positive feedback, I am posting TWO chapters in a day. Make sure you leave some more love afterwards, they make me smile! ****This chapter is in "Marcus' POV" but as you all know, it'll be in third person. Don't forget to leave a review afterwards!**

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**Chapter 10: Empathy**

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Marcus couldn't help but feel empathetic towards Edward. He watched his client as he conversed with his father, who at this point, was a practical stranger. Marcus knew first hand that there was nothing worse than the knowledge that all your suffering could've been avoided if only you'd made a different choice.

Marcus had a glimpse at how different Edward's life could've been had he chosen to swallow his pride and move back to Forks. Marcus had yet to meet Bella, but he had certainly heard Edward's children play. He unintentionally reminisced, remembering their innocence, happy and clueless to all the problems their parents were going through.

He took a moment to wonder for himself. If he had chosen differently, would he be an angel? Had he made the better decision to stay with Didyme, would he have died a happier man? Instead of choosing fame and wealth, things the younger and naïve Marcus thought he needed to live a happy life; should he have stayed with his true love in the end?

Marcus knew that for all his own 'what if-ing' the answer to those last few questions would always be a resounding "yes". However, Marcus did not have time to dwell on his own regret. Aro sent Marcus a message advising that he would soon be receiving information regarding a certain barista named Bella.

Tomorrow, Marcus would go to Edward and update him on Aro's latest information. All he hoped was that he got to him in time before Edward went to the café without any kind of fore knowledge. Without having the information they both needed, Marcus already knew that tomorrow would be full of surprises. If there's anything he learned from dealing with humans, nothing was as simple as it seems.

Simple or complicated, it didn't really matter. Marcus knew that this Edward would instantly fall in love with Bella. The unknown was whether she would love him in return.

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**Beta: Random Loves**


	11. The Beautiful Barista

**Beta: Random Loves**

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**Chapter 11: The Beautiful Barista**

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**(EPOV)**

"Edward, dear, please try to get home early tonight, okay?" Carmen asked me wearily.

"Sure, may I ask why? Do you need me for anything?"

She shook her head, and replied, "No, but our reprieve is over. Tanya is coming home today."

I had been pleasantly relieved that Tanya's stay in Portland had been extended an extra day. I think I may have even fist pumped a few times in my excitement. After my day at the hospital and talk with Carlisle, I wasn't sure I was ready to see Tanya. From all the information I heard about her, I was struggling with whether to salvage our poor excuse of a marriage.

"Well she'll be home around five and said that she expects you to be home, too," she muttered, shuffling her bucket of cleaning supplies in her arm, "I'm going to be cleaning all day…"

I nodded and said, "I'm really sorry that she treats you like her mule, Carmen. You deserve better."

She waved her hand in dismissal. "I'm fine. I really don't have to deal with her that much."

After bidding me a goodbye, she went upstairs to start cleaning. I was already dressed and ready to go. I wanted to get a head start on my day so I could hopefully duck out a bit early. After all, I planned to go to the café after my shift.

-xXx-

"Dr. Cullen, Mrs. Reyes is complaining of a headache again. She wants to see you," a nurse said with a roll of her eyes.

I got up from my desk and walked over to the door. I've actually had a hard time doing anything today. I was still pleasantly struck, that I had my very own office. In my other world I wouldn't have expected to be chief of department at this stage of my career, even if I still had a job.

I followed the nurse as she led me to room 38. Behind the curtain was a frail looking woman. Her vibrant green eyes light up as she spoke, "Dr. Cullen, thank heavens you're here! My head has been hurting and everyone," she shot a nasty glare at the nurse who faux cowered in response, "is telling me to just take Tylenol."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her cranky tone. Some seniors come to the E.R. because they were lonely, and yet, some have something seriously wrong and need medical attention. Mrs. Reyes was the former rather than the latter.

As was policy, we gave Mrs. Reyes the million dollar work up and as expected, she just had a headache. A couple of Tylenols fixed her right up. I did notice something in my examination though, she had an unusual spot on her arm. I referred her to a dermatologist for follow and she delightedly went on her way.

And so that's how my day went. The E.R. had been fairly quiet, but that didn't dampen my mood. I felt so good to practice medicine again. I had missed being a doctor more than I realized.

By the end of the day, I was getting more and more excited. The end of my shift couldn't come fast enough.

**-xXx-**

The harsh wind chilled my face as I made my way to the café door, the bell rang quietly as I pulled it open. I shivered in pleasure as the warmth of the café enveloped me, along with the tantalizing smell of coffee beans and freshly baked muffins.

I sat down on an empty table by the corner and waited for the long line to die down. Looking around, I grabbed a nearby magazine to read as a distraction.

Even from my seat, I could hear the murmurs of the people who were lined up at the register. But I didn't pay attention to every voice, I just zeroed in on the one I wanted, she was currently taking an order from a child.

"Hello there, fine sir. What can I get you? Cappuccino? Espresso?" she asked while trying to keep a straight face.

"I'm too little for grown-up coffee!" the small boy giggled, making his mommy smile next to him.

"Goodness! My mistake," she said, her warm smile playful, "How about a peppermint hot chocolate? It's my specialty."

"Yes please!" the boy replied enthusiastically.

"Coming right up," Bella replied with a light laugh that I swore only angels could ever make.

_Ha-ha, funny Cullen. But just to let you know, Marcus is an angel and his laugh sure as hell doesn't sound like that. _

Only she, only Bella, had the most perfect laugh on the planet. Hearing her voice made me realize how much I've truly missed it. In my other life, there were plenty of times when I just wanted her to stop nagging me. But now, I realized that she wasn't really nagging me, she was making suggestions. Tanya was the true nag and bossy beyond comprehension.

I took in a few deep calming breaths. I fought the urge to take Bella in my arms and hug the living shit out of her. It would be too strange.

The line had finally died down. Happy customers went to their seats, or left with their steaming mugs to keep them warm outside.

I wasn't sure if I was ready to see her again. It had felt like a lifetime since I last saw Bella. I finally chanced a look at her, my heart full of trepidation. My knees went weak. She was beautiful, even with her hair up in a messy ponytail, and her brown apron lightly stained. It really didn't matter what world I was in, I loved her.

Not even Tanya with her toned body and fancy dress could draw such a strong reaction from me.

Soon enough if was my turn to order. She hadn't looked at me yet, being too busy keeping the line moving. God, does she even remember me? Was the other Edward a regular? What if Tanya didn't like the old Edward coming here because Bella was a friend of Alice's?

Forks was a small town after all and everyone here knew everyone else's business. Jesus, does that mean that she knows how much of an asshole I -this Edward- was to his wife...shit, Tanya.

I shook my head. I refused to think about her when I was about to talk to Bella. My wife, the only wife I'd ever want, was standing less than two feet away from me. The guilt was back as my memory flashed to my first assumptions when I first landed in this reality. I'd been foolish to ever think that I could be satisfied anyone but Bella.

_Act cool, man. She may not know you_. I tried reign in all the love I was feeling for her. She looked up at me and then wiped her hands on her apron. I was pleasantly surprised to see her eyes brighten. "Hi, Edward. Nice to see you, it's been a while. What can I get you? The usual?" she teased.

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I had no idea what this Edward's usual was. I thought it would be easy to act cool around her, but actually being near her, I couldn't make my mouth work.

"Everything okay?" she asked, as she reached for a cup from the shelf.

"No, no. I mean. Yes. Yes. Everything is okay and yes, I'll have my…er, usual," I stammered, cursing my stupefied self. _Come on, brain. You form the words and make my mouth say it. It's not that hard_.

Bella continued to look at me worriedly while making my coffee. Seeing her agility with the coffee machine, I wondered when and where she learned to be a barista. I knew it was much harder than it looked.

Being around her again loosened up the pressure in my chest and made me feel normal again. I smiled a little at the tendrils of hair framing her face and her perfect eyebrows furrowing. She was so adorable when she was concentrating.

My smile faltered as I noticed something I wasn't prepared to see in a million years. It had been stupid of me to not consider the possibility. My own situation should have made me realize, but it didn't. Was this the "complication" Carlisle tried to warn me about?

While spinning the cup to get the proper amount of foam, I caught sight of Bella's left hand. On her fourth finger sat two shiny rings, but not just any rings. That was no costume jewelry. That was a wedding set.

One thought came to mind: I was completely and utterly fucked.

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**A/N: Uh oh. Things just got a hell lot more complicated. You didn't actually think I'd make it easy, don't you?**

**Don't forget to leave a review!**


	12. Mrs Fucking Black

**A/N: I'm guessing you guys already know who Bella is married to by the title of this chapter. I don't know when the next update will be, my beta still has to fix them. **

**I'd like to take a moment to say my "get well" wishes to my beta's, Random Loves', Nana who is in the hospital. Let's all wish her well, guys!**

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**Chapter 12: Mrs. Fucking Black**

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"You have plans to close your mouth any time soon, boy? It won't be easy to explain why you're mugging the living shit out of her ring finger."

"She's married?! Why didn't you tell me?" I hissed, glaring at him and trying not to yell.

"Zip it... can you not yell, boy? Are you trying to attract attention?" he said, pressing two fingers to his lips.

I rolled my eyes and hissed again, "You try being in my spot! To find out your wife...well you know what I mean... that she's married to someone else, without any warning!"

"Edward, are you okay? Who are you talking to?" Bella asked, her voice sweet and full of concern.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Marcus smirk. "No one," I said with slight flush of embarrassment and weak smile, "Just singing along to the music," I gestured to the speaker, "It is after all the most wonderful time of the year..."

She gave a beautiful, yet skeptical smile as she placed my perfectly made coffee on the counter. The foam decoration was in the shape of a Christmas tree. Damn she was clever.

My short-lived day dream came to end with the, now annoying, whisper of my no-help angel, "Look, son. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to warn you, but I just received some more information." He pointedly patted his right arm.

I gave him a slight nod in acknowledgement, not wanting to draw anymore attention to myself. I had no real idea how I was thought of in this town. With my luck, I was probably the town asshole. I didn't want to be known as the crazy asshole doctor who talks to himself. That would be very bad for business.

"Pay for your coffee and get out of here," Marcus ordered.

I swallowed as the light overhead kept glinting off Bella's ring. It sickened me to no end knowing that it wasn't my ring that sat on her finger, that it wasn't my name that she took. I just couldn't fathom any life where she wouldn't be mine...I felt myself stiffen, as if ice cold water poured over me. If she didn't marry me, then who the hell was her husband?

As if knowing where my thoughts were, or who my thoughts were on, Marcus patted my shoulder and said, "I know it's hard," I stayed quiet, but I really wanted to punch him...if I could, and he continued, "But I promise you I'm going to tell you everything I know."

As I reached for my wallet to pay, Bella coincidently tucked a strand of her hair with her left hand. The rings were mocking, mocking me, reminding me of everything I had taken for granted.

She held out her hand, smiling hesitantly at me, waiting for me to pay. It was then, that I realized I was scowling, and I eased it into what I hoped was a smile. I didn't know what kind of relationship we had. Where we even friends? Of was I just a regular patron of her cafe? Did she know that this Edward was in love with her?

"_All_ Edwards are in love with her!" I wanted to shout to her, "No matter what world I'm from, I will always love you!"

I had to find out more. Forks was a small town, surely we were at least friends. I had to stay cool; I didn't want to scare her away with my erratic behavior. However, I had every intention on talking to Bella again. I just had to figure out the how, when, and where.

I managed to keep my thoughts to myself, and placed what I hoped was enough money into her waiting hand. As she handed me back my change, our fingers touched for the briefest of moments. I could feel the familiar tingling sensation, ever present, whenever we touched. No touch of Tanya's, even to her bare leg, could garner this kind of reaction.

Bella's easy smile faltered as she looked down at her finger. Did she feel it too?

"Uhm...thanks," I said quickly, and gesturing with my cup.

"You're welcome, Edward," she said. I could hear the confusion in her voice. I had to behave appropriately. Bella was married to someone else in this world. Despite my own screwed up situation, I wasn't about to tempt ruining her marriage. Assuming I could and no matter how much I wanted to try.

I just nodded, and then left the warm café, the frosty air hitting me harshly. Marcus and I strolled down the street a little ways before sitting down at one of the many available benches. "Now, will you tell me what you found out?" I asked, as soon as my leg touched the cold bench.

Marcus cleared his throat and pulled up the sleeve of his thin shirt. I think he was immune to the cold weather because not once did he shiver, nor was he ever bundled up.

"As you now know, your beloved Bella is married," he stated, rolling his eyes as he heard my snort.

"You know what?! You don't have to act like an asshole. I apologize that I wasn't there to forewarn you, but don't even for one second fool yourself into thinking that you're angry," he was now shouting and jarring a finger at me, "at me because I didn't warn you! Let's get real now. The only reason you're pissed is because you found out that your wife, in another reality I might add, is married to someone else! The wife, in that very other reality, that you took for granted! Don't you think it's a little unfair that you're angry now when you didn't even give her the time of day in your other life? So if you're going to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at yourself!"

My annoyed expression slipped. My, so called, guardian angel was a nut. However, Marcus was right. My annoyance didn't stem from his lack of warning. As angry and jealous I felt, I had no right to blame anyone but myself. Even in my other life, and certainly not in this world, did I have the right to feel jealous. As hard as it was to admit, I was an asshole and I took my family for granted.

I closed my eyes as the guilt shook me to the core. How the hell was I going to go back to my reality? How was I going to "fix my mistakes" if I kept finding out new things that just complicate my situation further? Can I even go back to my world? Even if I did, would Bella and the kids take me back, give me a chance to show them that I love them and that they are most important to me?

I heard Marcus exhale a shaky sigh. I opened my eyes and saw remorse.

"I'm sorry for that, Edward. I shouldn't have yelled at you," he said. It didn't escape my notice that although he apologized for shouting at me, he didn't apologize for what he said.

Why would he?

He was a hundred percent correct.

"It's fine. I deserved it…I deserved it all," I replied humbly, the guilt still ringing in me. I was surprised by how small my voice sounded.

Marcus shook his head, and explained, "It's my job to help you correct your mistakes, but it's not my job to shout at you. No matter how justified I may have felt."

His voice sounded regretful and remorseful. I knew that that was the best apology I was going to get, even if he had no reason to apologize. "It's fine." I replied, "Could you please tell me what you found out?"

I needed to drop this subject before I did something stupid, like rush back to the café and drop down to my knees to apologize to Bella for mistakes that she had nothing to do with her. I could imagine her expression as I suddenly confessed my failures as her husband and mistakes as our children's father. She would certainly question my sanity.

"I don't know any easy way to say this so I'm just going to come right out and say it. Bella is married to Jacob Black," he said, all in one breath.

Heavy from guilt, I jerkily snapped my head up. My mouth fell open as I did a distinct impersonation of a fish. Black...Jacob Black...Jake Black...that name sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before?

I wracked my brain, shuffling through memories and of what Bella might have said to me about Jacob Black.

"He was one of the many suitors Bella had in college," Marcus said, at my confused expression. As soon as he said that, my mind zoned in the time when I surprised Bella with a visit a college.

…

_My lips turned up into a huge grin as I her light weight crashed pleasantly into me. My semester break started a week before Bella's, so I decided to surprise her…who was now currently hugging the shit out of me. Her slim legs wrapped around my hips as I cradled her in my arms._

_"Hey, baby! Why didn't you tell me you were going to visit?"_

_I pulled my head back to take a better look, and couldn't resist tucking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. She wore a happy smile, her cheeks flushed. "I wanted to surprise you," I replied, giving her nose a light kiss. Her blush deepened. I rested my chin on her shoulder._

_Behind her, I noticed a tall tanned man heading our way. His white teeth glimmered brightly against his dark skin. His smile faltered as he got closer, he looked confused or was it concern?_

_"Love, do you know that boy?" I asked._

_She pulled away from my chest and asked, "Who?"_

_I motioned with my chin to the guy in question. Bella followed and once she caught sight of him, smiled and waved. The man's lips turned into a small smile but his shoulders stayed dropped. I knew that face. He was disappointed._

_The man waved back to Bella, glanced at me and then walked quickly back where he came from. I turned to her and asked again, "Do you know him, love?"_

_I felt her shrug against me. I let go of her and then hugged her close as I felt her feet touch the ground. She looked up at me. "That's Jacob Black. He's…uh, a friend of mine. The son of my dad's best friend."_

_I felt a small wave of jealousy before I stomped it down. Although we went to schools on each side of the country, I knew Bella would never stray. There was no point in ruining my short time here being jealous and stupid._

_"Let me guess…he's more than a 'friend'?" I asked, half teasingly and half serious._

_Like she always did, she saw right through me. "Edward Cullen, you have nothing to be jealous about. He's one of my childhood friends. Nothing more, nothing less. You're the one I love," she said before planting a loud kiss on my lips._

_I grinned happily at that. This Jacob Black boy was nothing to worry about. After all, it was me Bella loved._

…

"Remember him now?" Marcus asked, bringing me back to the present.

I nodded, swallowed deeply as I realized how complicated my situation truly was. I thought of H.G. Wells and The Time Machine - one of Bella's favorites - was now playing a big role in my reality. They weren't kidding when they said that one little thing could change everything.

In this world, I stayed with Tanya, I didn't get reacquainted Bella at the right time. Thus, I didn't fall in love with her. But fate couldn't have been that cruel. Even without meeting her during our college years, this Edward still fell in love with her. Only, she didn't love him back because she was already married. What else had changed because of my decision to stay with Tanya? I don't think I could take any more new revelations…

"They're married now and have two kids: Leah and Seth."

Apparently, I had to get used to new revelations for they were far from over. "_KIDS?!_"

Oh dear God. I wasn't ready for that...at least they didn't name them Grace and Mason. There was no way I could handle my children calling anyone one but me daddy. I missed my two angels terribly. I would give anything to see them or hear their innocent laughs once more…

"Too bad you took them for granted, huh Cullen?" My subconscious cruelly reminded me. It was getting meaner and meaner by the minute.

"Leah and Seth are twins and five years old, going on six the week before Christmas. Jacob and Bella have been married since they finished college. He works as a mechanic running his own shop, and has a side business doing construction. Bella is quite the entrepreneur herself, running the café as well as owing the used bookstore, BB's Books."

My eyes widened. So Bella owned the bookstore that I passed nearly every day. Despite all my inner turmoil, I smiled at the thought of Bella having her own bookstore. I was proud of her. The Bella in the other world had been a teacher with a serious love of literature. She had a long term dream of starting up a children's bookstore. The idea was that she would contribute to inner city libraries with the profits. My Bella had planned on holding regular reading sessions, wherein she would read some children's books out loud to the kids. My stupidity had also halted her dreams of helping others. All the money she had saved for the startup had been used on regular expenses. A flush of guilt ran through me, reminding me again that it was all my fault.

"That's about it. The Blacks live a happy life. They're content with everything they have, even if they're not filthy rich. They have something that no amount of money could ever buy: true happiness," Marcus said pointedly. He certainly wasn't holding anything back.

My eyes shifted back to my lap, the shame of my realizations overwhelming me. After losing my job, all I thought about was what I lost. The prestige of being a successful physician with a major hospital. Losing my fast car, designer clothes, and the indulgences that came with a large disposable income. I now realized that there were far more important things than material goods. Family was more important and I had lost them. We were once so happy and just so together. But now, we were falling apart. Was it too late? If I made it back to my reality, was Bella planning to divorce me and take the kids with her?

Oh God, please no. Please no. Please no… It felt like the world around me was spinning as the sound of the wind grew louder.

"Edward! Son, you need to calm down. Just breathe… breathe…" Marcus said soothingly.

I had no idea that I was shaking, that it wasn't the wind but my heavy, uneven breaths. I took a deep cleansing breath and willed myself to calm down. I looked at Marcus who looked at me worriedly. "Anything else?" I asked, unsure if I could take anymore.

"I found out that Bella is very close to your family. All of them live in Forks. Alice and Jasper returned after college, and Emmett and Rosalie moved back once Rosalie had completed her internship. The all reconnected with Bella, and in turn befriended Jacob. In this world, you are...distant. It is mostly Tanya's doing, she doesn't like them and they pretty much can't stand her. However, with Tanya out of town a fair bit you do occasionally hang out with them."

I nodded. My thoughts on my siblings were back full force. My relationships with them, or more like a lack of, were pretty similar in this world and the other. The only difference being the reason. In my other life, we weren't close because they all lived successful lives in Forks, while their supposedly smart brother got himself fired. The question popped back in my head: could we have been closer had I just chosen to swallow my pride and move back to Forks?

"I'll give you Bella's address. But I'm warning you, don't you go over there until I'll tell you it's time. I don't want you to get arrested for trespassing or anything. As far as I know, Bella has no idea of your feelings, or the other Edward's for that matter, for her and I want you to keep it that way. It'll do no one any good if you show up at their house to confess your love for her."

"Fine," I said, resolved.

He stared me down and said, "I mean it, boy. Your situation is already tenuous. I don't want you creating more messes that we have to clean up, understood?"

I nodded, while vowing to keep that promise. He was right. It would do no good and more harm if Bella ever saw me snooping around her home.

"Now they live near Charlie," my throat dried up at the mention of my very intimidating father-in-law. He may have liked me at first and in the early stages of my marriage. I knew that he grew disappointed in me once he heard that I'd been fired, and how I changed because of it. Who wouldn't get disappointed?

It wouldn't surprise me if Bella had discussed me with her father. I wondered why he hadn't marched up to LA yet and just shot me.

_Come on, Cullen. You know Bella would never do that. _

My subconscious was right. My wife was too much of a sweetheart to burden others with our marital problems.

"…so be careful," Marcus warned me.

We stared into the quiet street as I absorbed what he said. After a couple of minutes, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

Marcus smirked and said, "I guess our time is up. That's Carmen texting you to go home. Tanya's back."

I didn't even ask him how he knew. We walked back to the small parking lot and got in my car.

"I'll see you later, son," he said, "and good luck with that wife."

I nodded grimly as I watched him disappear with a snap of his fingers. I slowly turned over the ignition and then reluctantly headed home. I had just learned the fate of my beloved, in this reality, and I was not looking forward to seeing Tanya. Bella was beyond comparison.

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**A/N: Get ready for some Tanya action in the next chapter!**

**Thanks for my beta, Random Loves, for betaing this. I know how hard it must be to edit my work! You're awesome!**


	13. True Colors

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Credit belongs to the wonderful Ms. Stephanie Meyer.**

**Thanks to my amazing beta, Random Loves, for editing this! Thank God she noticed some mistakes that even I didn't think of.**

**It's almost Christmas time so I'm trying to crunch everything up. I hope that this story is finished before that or maybe a few days over Christmas.**

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**Chapter 13: True Colors**

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"Edward, dear, you're here," Carmen sighed in relief as I entered the front door.

I kissed her on the cheek. "Is she here yet?" I asked, mentally crossing my fingers.

Carmen shook her head and said wearily, "She will be though. Her driver just phoned saying that they were just about to leave the airport," her voice turning slightly shrilly, "She'll be here in less than thirty minutes and I still have so much to clean up!"

Taking in her haphazard state and untucked bun, and the smell of furniture polish strongly clinging to her, I knew she spent all day cleaning the already spotless house.

"Carmen, what if I do the rest of the cleaning? You must be very tired…" I offered.

But she shook her head before I even had the chance to finish my sentence. "It's fine, dear. I'm almost done anyways. Just get cleaned up, then come back and keep me company until she gets here," she said, quickly pecking me on the cheek.

She then dashed up to the kitchen. Less than a second later, I heard the sink turn on. I shook my head. Tanya was hardly here. Did that mean, when she was here, that she monopolized Carmen's time and energy like this every time?

I climbed the two sets of stairs and headed for the shower. Glancing at the clock, I wished desperately that Tanya's arrival would somehow be postponed.

-xXx-

"Eddie! I missed you!" Tanya said as she scampered over to me in her ridiculously high heels. Geez, did she wear those on the plane? Wouldn't they be uncomfortable?

She laid a wet kiss on my cheek before hugging me around the waist. I wrapped my arms loosely around her in response. From her close proximity, her scent hit me like a ton of bricks. She smelled of perfume and…something else. Was that men's cologne?

My face and neck heated up as my stomach churned. Oh God, she had been with him at the convention. I was pretty sure I knew who…did that mean that the other Edward had pieced that together as well?

With my head still spinning, Tanya pulled back and asked Carmen, "Did you take care of my laundry like I asked?"

Carmen nodded and replied, "Yes. Everything is ironed and folded on your bed."

Tanya gave her a tight smile before walking to the kitchen, leaving her multiple bags in the foyer. Christ, hadn't she only been gone for four days? Why did she need so many bags?

"Well it's later than I'd planned, and I want to get ready for tomorrow." she said with an air of superiority, "Carmen, what's for dinner?"

Carmen gave her a tight smile before answering, "I've prepared one of your shakes. Would you like anything else?"

Tanya airily waved a hand, as she headed to the fridge for a glass of water, and replied, "Just a salad, no dressing. I had a few almonds on the plane."

Carmen muttered a quiet, "As you wish," she glanced at the clock, then turned to me to ask, "It is late. Would you like to eat with her? You don't usually..." There was an awkward silence.

Do I have to?

I wanted to whine to her. Instead, I bit my tongue and sulked my way to the kitchen there was nothing there. I guess the kitchen counter wasn't good enough for Tanya…

I felt a tug on my sleeve. It was Carmen. "In the dining room," she said with a nod to the ostentatious room I'd discovered the other day, "I've made pasta for lunch. Do you want some?"

"Sure...sounds good," I answered. I truly wasn't all that hungry and the prospect of eating with Tanya made me even less so.

"I'll get your plate," Carmen said, giving me a sad smile, "I'll eat in a bit."

"Well, why don't you eat now? It's getting late and you've cleaned all day. I'm sure you're hungry," I said, furrowing my brow, "Besides, the dining room table is all set, and it's too big for only two people. Come join us."

She gave me a weak smile, as embarrassment colored her cheeks. Why was she embarrassed? Did I say something…?

"Oh Edward, you can try, try and try but you know very well that women doesn't like it when I eat with you…" she answered, with a roll of her eyes, "I am the help, remember?"

She did not just say that... I looked down at the floor, the floor that she no doubt spent hours polishing. I had to reign in my anger. This woman spent her day pointlessly cleaning for a shrew who she didn't even give a shit about anything but herself. What century was I in? Carmen wasn't just our help or maid, she was practically _family_! She _was_ family.

I shook my head. "Carmen, I'll eat in the kitchen with you. I'm not eating with her," I said, pointing her finger in the direction of the dining room. There was a clacking sound. What the hell was Tanya doing? Who the hell did she think she was? One of those eighteenth century ladies who expected to be waited on hand and foot?

Besides, there was no way in hell was I enduring a dinner alone with her…

I was roused from my musings at the sound of Tanya's high pitched voice. "Car-_men_! Where's my salad and shake?"

Carmen looked annoyed. She shook her head. I knew what that meant. I was eating with Tanya...

"Next time Edward," she said plainly, "I'll just get you your dinner."

Defeated, I sighed, "Thanks Carmen."

"I made lasagna. I'll throw together a salad, now go on. She's expecting you..." she said sympathetically, nodding her head in the direction of the dining room.

I sighed again as I trudged my way to Tanya. This was going to be the longest dinners of my life…

-xXx-

"So, Eddie," she said, as a small shudder escaped me. I really, really hated that nick name. She continued, "Victoria called me and said that there was going to be this charity event at the children's services centre in Port Angeles."

I savored my lasagna, trying to concentrate on enjoying the cheesy, meaty goodness it brought while avoiding looking at her disgusting shake. It was a hard feat, considering that she sat across from me as if we were fine dining instead of simply eating a meal at home.

"Anyway, she said that it'd be great publicity if my office participated. She said that there were going to be representatives from the Seattle's Times and she wants to show that we support all kinds of communities or something like that," she continued while forking some salad.

"So you're in Port Angeles tomorrow? Will you be heading to Seattle after?" I asked, trying to hide the hope and glee I was feeling. With Tanya back in Seattle for the week, I might get a chance to visit Bella again…

My two second happiness was shot down when she replied, "I'll be doing paperwork from home this week," she replied, "Oh and we'll both be going to the center. They'll be a ton of free publicity. It'll do the hospital good as well if people saw you volunteering."

She didn't get it. If I was going to volunteer for anything, it'd be out of my own volition and not for some misguided idea of publicity.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to decline, she added, "Don't worry about your shift, I already called Carlisle and cleared your schedule for tomorrow."

"_Curse you, Carlisle_!" I thought. _Traitor_. What in the world was he thinking when he allowed Tanya to clear my schedule?

I thought we were a team! What happened to moving on with my life?

"So you're coming," she stated rather than asked, holding her fork in mid air as she stared me down in anticipation of a response.

I squirmed under her stare. As if I had a choice. "Okay, what time do you need me?"

She smiled victoriously before reaching for her Blackberry that had been beeping all through dinner. She scrolled and read, "It's 8:30 to 3:30 at 348 East Park Ave." She tapped out a quick message before locking her phone, and said, "So we should leave no later than 8:00. We're taking my car though. We must be seen together just in case there are photographers taking pictures."

Did she think she was some kind of celebrity?

I don't even think I've ever nodded so much in my life. I truly wasn't used to someone seriously mapping everything down to the tee.

We finished our meals in silence. Only her slurps from her shake and the munching of food could be heard. Carmen had long retired to her room and was hopefully taking a nap.

The silence nearly killed me. Not that I wanted to engage in vapid conversation with Tanya. I wasn't used to it being so quiet. Back at home, my other reality, dinner was always a boisterous affair. Although Bella and I were mostly exhausted after a long day, our children did all the talking.

The lasagna I had eaten settled heavily in my stomach. My heart twisted as I compared how my life there was and how my life here was. Was this really what life with Tanya was like?

Avoidance. Silence. There was absolutely no conversing in this world. Tanya had picked up her phone and started clacking away again.

The large table that seated 12. Ten empty mahogany chairs mocked me. The dining table in my other world may not have been as grand but it was always full. Although Mase and Gracie sometimes argued, there was more laughter and jokes than fighting.

All this comparing made me realize that I never really thought of what might be happening in my other life. What was going on while I'm here in this alternate universe? Did time stop for them? Did it go on? Were they eating dinner now? Were they wondering where I was? Did my body disappear, or did it simply evolve into nothing but dust, like I'd seen in a movie once?

Oh God, are they even wondering where I was? Or was Bella glad that she finally got rid of her cranky couch potato of a husband?

The knots in my stomach twisted tighter. Would they forget about me? Pick someone else to bestow their love and affection on?

My eyes burned with tears I tried not to shed. I didn't think I could take that. What would happen if it took me years to get back to my other life? Would I ever go back?

_Not now, Cullen. Do you want to barf in front of Tanya? _

"Ask your questions later and maybe Marcus will have answers," my subconscious soothed, "But for God's sake! Don't think like that. And fix your face. You look like you need to take a shit."

I gave myself a mental nod. Thank the Lord that Tanya was still sufficiently distracted. I rose from my seat and headed into the kitchen. I scraped the remaining food from my plate and walked over to the sink. I rinsed my stuff and then placed them in the dishwasher.

Returning to the dining room, I walked by Tanya and said, "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." She nodded distractedly.

Once in my room, I took off my shirt and put on my sleep clothes. I'd work on getting more answers tomorrow, but first I had this children's center event to attend. Hopefully, Marcus would be there to help.

-xXx-

"Little dimwits. They're all so annoying," Tanya complained to Victoria as they sat in one corner, letting the other volunteers take care of the children they were supposed to watch over.

Seeing the familiar redhead made me question some things. In my old life, Victoria and James were married so why weren't they together in this life?

_Maybe cause you and James didn't go to the same college…_

Without even knowing yet, my subconscious already figured it out. The fact that James and I didn't go to the same college in this life may not seem like a big deal but it was probably the thing that changed everything.

See, I used to "date" Victoria in my freshmen - sophomore year in college. _Ew._ Up to this day, I still wonder what I ever saw in her…or whether I was drunk the whole time. But like many, fresh out of high school, I was a typical male who felt like getting new pussy every night and day was the coolest thing.

So Victoria happened to be one of those women I met. We didn't go steady or even ventured out. I took her on a couple of dates because I _was_ a gentleman after all but I never let her think that what we had was ever going to last.

Apparently, she had no hopes of it either. We were young and obviously very stupid so we didn't really care and gave each other what we wanted.

Of course, James being stupid and all, thought that Victoria and I were actually steady and in love. So he did what I expected him to do and stole her. Truthfully, I was glad that he did. Victoria was just another Tanya. Spoiled rotten and very bossy. Thus, that's how Victoria and James ended up being married.

Maybe in this reality they didn't end up together because I didn't go to the same college with neither Victoria nor James, so he didn't have the chance to meet her…

Pulling me out of my thoughts, I heard that the two women were _still _talking. I grimaced, disgusted by their behavior. The only reason they sat down after nearly three hours of pretending they cared was because the photographer finally took a break and wouldn't be back until later. Victoria and Tanya didn't really care about these poor, innocent children. All they were after was the accolades and prestige that came with appearing to do good.

I was standing near the snack counter along with a bunch of children and some of the other volunteers. While keeping my eye on the children, I strained to discreetly listen to their conversation.

"So…how was your night. I heard you stayed an extra day in Oregon. How did you work that out?" Victoria waggled her eyebrows as she nudged Tanya.

In response, Tanya rolled her blue eyes but smiled deviously before shushing her friend. "Vicky! Lower your voice," she hissed, but there was dubiously laughter in her tone, "I didn't have to work out anything. I just phoned Carmen and told her I was forced to stay an extra night."

"So...what did you do? Or more like who…"

Tanya licked her lips, and I internally gagged. She fanned herself and dreamily responded, "James. He surprised me. He'd booked us a hotel! It was so romantic."

Victoria squealed before shooting side-way glances. I had my back to them, pretending to read the nutrition label of something, but very much paying attention.

She appeared to relax and then continued with the same enthusiasm.

"Sounds romantic, but Tan, why are you still with Edward? I get that he's handsome and a fine specimen," I shuddered in disgust at her tone. I didn't have to be a mind reader to recognize lust in someone's voice, "…but wouldn't you rather be with James?"

I was partially blocked by another volunteer, but I could still see Tanya roll her eyes at Victoria. "Not really. He's a bit of fun...a distraction. But Edward…he comes from an affluent family, has his own money and a he's going to be running that hospital some day. It doesn't hurt that he's good looking either. He gives me status. James..." she smiled wistfully, "Oh he is definitely handsome and romantic, but he doesn't have an iota of the prestige that Edward does. Sure he has a good job, but he's just a pharmaceutical rep. Did you know he dropped out of med school his final year?" When she finished she was scowling, I could feel the greed rolling off her.

"Who cares? At least James actually gives a shit about you," Victoria said exasperatedly, frustration evident in her voice. From her tone, I could tell that this was probably an ongoing argument.

Tanya gasped before quieting down, and stated, "Edward's indifference actually helps the situation. I can see James and Edward is none the wiser. I get the best of both worlds."

Whatever Victoria was about to say was cut off as the van full of photographers came into view. It was almost comical how both ladies quickly stood up and tended to the children that they claimed to hate so much.

I felt a presence behind me, and sure enough there was a boy, about six, suspiciously looking at me. After smiling sheepishly, I shrugged and stuffed some grapes in my mouth before walking away.

Unfortunately, I couldn't endlessly tail both Tanya and Victoria because I had my own station to monitor. "Would you like some more soup?" I kindly asked the little girl sitting alone in the corner. She looked at me but quickly shook her head, then ducking it down. My irritation at the gossipers quickly melted away as I surrounded myself with the children. There was just nothing compared to a child's innocence, where they believed that everything and everyone was genuine. But sadly, some of the kids at the center had seen too much, experienced too much, and were all too aware the world wasn't always a happy place. It pained me to see that loss of innocence in their eyes.

I ladled some chicken noodle soup into a plastic bowl of an eagerly awaiting boy. I stirred what little there was left in the big pot. We'd been here for over four hours and yet the children never seemed to get enough. The center did what it could to provide the basic necessities. It wasn't a huge facility but it was always kept neat and tidy. Funding was always a challenge, and the down turn in the economy wasn't helping. Donations had dropped off, and everyone was hopeful that this event would bring in enough contributions to keep going.

With the soup all gone, I closed down my station and returned to the kitchen. I nearly dropped the pot at the sight of none other than Tanya standing at the counter. She was wearing an apron, her hair in an organized ponytail and she was holding a knife. My brows furrowed. She looked so strange in this domestic setting. It dawned on me that in all our brief time together, here in this world, I had never once seen her in the kitchen actually cooking; it had always been Carmen or sometimes me who prepared the meals.

Tanya wasn't alone. Standing next to her was a young woman wearing a shirt with the center's name on it. She was probably one of the managers. She was watching Tanya, and the expression on her face was one of pure frustration.

I placed the empty soup pot on the wooden counter, careful not to make a sound, in order to remain undetected.

"Miss, why don't you let me do this part. I'm concerned that you might cut yourself," the woman said, with genuine concern.

"I said I can do it. I am a surgeon, you know," Tanya snapped, "Now back the hell off and let me work." Although her back was turned to me, I could practically feel her eyes rolling. From her body language, she looked both pissed and annoyed.

Then both women got quiet as Tanya started expertly chopping some tomatoes on her chopping board. Suddenly, mid chop, she looked out the opening between the kitchen and the center. She lifted her free hand and waved, an angelic smile on her face. I wondered who the hell she was smiling at. There was no way she was smiling at one of the children. I craned my neck to get a better look. I rolled my eyes back so hard I was afraid they'd get stuck. On the other side of the opening were Elisa Jaffe and her camera man, filming Tanya hard at work. Of course, she was all smiles and cheer for the media.

I watched for a couple of minutes, and then she rolled her shoulders, getting back to the chopping. The camera crew must have left.

The kitchen was quiet, save for the methodic sound of Tanya dicing tomato after tomato on the wooden cutting board. Suddenly, there was a yelp, followed by a slew of colorful words. Throwing her hands up in the air, Tanya stepped away from the counter as if she was surrendering. She slowly backed away and turned to the woman, her disgusted face in full view.

"Oh. My. God," she enunciated each word slowly, blinking rapidly as she sneered. She was covered in splattered tomato bits. It was too funny, but neither the volunteer nor I dared to laugh out loud. Tanya hastily removed her soiled apron, and shouted, "Why the hell did I agree to this?" she turned to the cowering volunteer, "You! You do this. I'm out of here. Make the stupid pizzas yourself!"

She didn't wait for a response, and marched out of the kitchen, throwing her apron at the woman as she passed. In her haste to leave, she didn't even notice me.

The woman picked the apron up off the floor, all the while shaking her head. I cleared my throat to let her know of my presence. "You okay?" I asked.

She jumped slightly, clutching at the dirty apron.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I saw her shocked face.

"It's fine. I'm okay," she said with a shake of her head. She picked up the offending tomato that had squirted Tanya. I noticed her smile; we may have both been thinking the same thing: Tanya had it coming.

"I'm sorry for that. She can be a little…overdramatic."

I heard her give a tiny scoff before biting her lip and resumed dicing the fruit. "What are you making?" I asked. Not entirely confident that Tanya really knew that they were supposed to be making pizzas…

"Pizzas, from scratch. Too bad she didn't stay longer. Her chopping was really quite good," the woman said, with a smile, "She was supposed to work on the sauce."

I looked at the precisely diced tomatoes, a shock of surprise hit me. I had not expected that. "Here, let me do the sauce," I offered, feeling bad that she was left to do it all alone, because Tanya bailed after getting a little dirty, "I may be a lowly doctor...but I do know my way around a kitchen."

"Thanks," she said stepping aside so I could get to work, "Would you mind grating some mozzarella for me, when you are done. I'm going to finish up the dough."

"Not at all," I replied, getting to it. I couldn't help my smile as I remembered the last time I made homemade pizza with my family.

**…**

_"I want to do it!" our little Gracie said, stomping her tiny feet for emphasis on her step-stool._

_"No fighting please," Bella interjected with a small smile as she kneaded the pizza dough before stretching it by hand._

_"But I wanted to grade the cheese!" Mase said, putting his hands on his small hips, staring his sister down._

_"Guys, please... Gracie why don't you grate the mozzarella cheese and Mase you grate the Parmesan? That way you can both do it," my wife compromised._

_Both kids' face lit up as they stared at the cheese they were assigned to grate. I beckoned Gracie first. "Okay, baby girl, you have to be really careful with this. I'll help you but stop before you get to the end. You don't want to hurt your little fingers," I warned._

_She giggled excitedly before nodding her head enthusiastically. I sat the plastic grater in front of her and moved to stand behind her. I wrapped my hand around her tiny one and then we both grated the cheese slowly._

_Mase watched the whole thing with wide eyes, fascinated with the ball of cheese that was slowly getting smaller. Getting close to the end, I took the cheese out and cut it up to pieces. Gracie and I shook the grater into the bowl. When it was Mase's turn, Grace giggled loudly at the "wrush, wrush" sound the grater made._

_After finishing the whole process, we set the bowl aside and helped Bella spread the marinara sauce with a barbecue brush. We all grabbed a brush each and spread the sauce into our own little pizza bites. The kids started humming some tune as Bella met my gaze. We both smiled goofily. There was nothing I looked forward to the most than these nights spent at home with my family._

**…**

I checked the sauce, well on its way. I started grating the cheese, and I wondered if I was going to ever get the chance to cook dinner with my family again. I stood at the counter, reflecting on my mistakes. Yes, I lost my job. But did I have to react so negatively afterward?

It was hard being unemployed, especially being the father of two kids who used to look up to you so much. I should have at least tried to get out of my funk.

Giving up my flashy car, being forced to downsize our home and all the other luxuries we lost, did it really matter? Maybe to a degree, but did I really have to make such a big deal out of it?

I could have gone into private practice, any number of offices or clinics would have taken me on. I could have worked part-time as a paramedic. I had options that could have kept us going until I found a hospital where the Steele family did not hold any influence. What did I do instead?

Lie in bed and brood, arrogantly thinking that I would get my job back, that's what I did. Standing there, the truth that had been slowly unveiling every day, dawned on me. For everything I've done, I didn't deserve the kids or Bella. I was such an asshole to them, ignoring them for something they didn't do. Who was I to think that I had the right to become jaded when I had a caring wife and two kids to take care of? Who says that I was the only one who suffered when I lost my job?

In losing my job, I didn't realize until now that I was also losing my family. The latter being far, far worse than the former. Would Bella ever forgive me, that is assuming I even make it back to my other life?

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, bringing me back to the present.

I shook my head to clear it, but I was still a bit dizzy from my thoughts, and replied, "I'm fine. Hey, listen, I'm really sorry but I have to go. The sauce is just about done. I've finished grating the cheese... I just remembered that I was supposed to take something out front…"

The woman nodded giving me a quizzical glance. She asked, "That's great, thanks," she paused, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive," I replied, and with that, I grabbed the soup pot from the stove, turned off the burner and carried it back to my station. There was a group of kids obediently lined up for another serving.

"Thank you," a little boy said as he held the bowl between his small hands before making his way back to his friends.

I served the kids until the line died down and then scanned the center for Tanya. Surely she wouldn't have dared go home without me. She wouldn't risk being photographed leaving before our time was done.

Looking down at my watch, I saw that we had a little less than an hour left. My ears perked as I heard the unmistakable shrill of Tanya's high voice.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Watch where you're going!" she screeched.

I was shocked at who she was shouting at. I expected it to be another volunteer, or maybe a rowdy teenage, but instead, I saw a small boy cowering away from her screaming. They were in a corner and no one was paying attention to them. By the look of it, I was the only one who noticed what was happening. I had to get to her before she made a complete ass out of herself. I dashed over and grabbed her by the arm, effectively pulling her away from the frightened boy. "Tanya! What are you doing?" I hissed in her ear.

She turned to me, breathing heavily, her chest heaving. Had it been possible, smoke would've erupted out of her ears. She flushed red, and shouted, "Let me go, Edward!"

I tightened my hold, and said through gritted teeth, "No, Tanya. You're scaring him."

"That boy," she jabbed a finger in the poor boy's direction, "bumped into me on purpose! The little rat was running with his stupid friends and look what they did!" she was beyond reasoning, but I held my grip, "Look at my shirt! I just bought it 30 minutes ago because my Chanel one was ruined in that stupid kitchen. So. Let. Me. Go."

"Jesus, it's just a shirt, Tanya. Will you please calm down before someone sees you an calls the police," I hissed, "You don't want that kind of publicity, now do you?"

Tanya huffed before snatching her arm away from my grip. She glared at the boy who looked close to tears. "Pack up your shit, Eddie. We're going home. I can't stand another minute here!" she barked and then stomped her way to the exit.

I sighed deeply and kneeled down before the terrified little boy. I soothed, "You okay, buddy? I'm sorry she was mean to you."

Placing my hands on his tiny shoulders, I realized that he was shaking. His small frame reminded me of my son, Mase. My stomach clenched at the thought of never seeing my children again. I pushed some of his hair back, just like what I did to Mase and Gracie, and said, "Shh, it's okay. She won't hurt you. I'm really sorry, buddy."

Unexpectedly, he threw his arms around my neck as his body shook again. He was scared to death. After all, who wouldn't be scared after getting yelled at by a crazed stranger for accidentally bumping into them?

I felt the hot moisture of tears against my neck. Pulling back, I saw that his small cheeks were stained with tears. I wiped them away gently with my thumb.

"I'm really sorry, mister," he hiccuped "I didn't mean to bump into her. I was just playing tag with my friends and I-I-I," he stuttered, "…didn't see where I was going. I'm sorry."

His flustered state made me angrier at Tanya. "It's okay, young one. It's over. Now why don't you go back to your friends, huh?"

He nodded before wiping his face with his sleeve. I waved goodbye before standing up, trying to ignore the sting in my knees for having crouched down so long.

I sighed deeply as I made my way to the parking lot, where Tanya was already waiting for me. Once her shiny car came into view, I saw her looking in the rear view mirror, reapplying her lipstick.

I opened the door and sat down in the passenger seat without a word. Tanya glanced over at me before closing her tube of lipstick with a resounding click.

"Thank God you're here. I was minutes away from leaving without you," she huffed, and then shuddered as she started the car, "I am never volunteering ever again…especially with kids."

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, not bothering to speak. Truthfully, I had the complete opposite reaction to today.

It had been fun working with kids again. I truly missed my Gracie and Mase. Many parents take their kids for granted, and I had been one of those parents. I didn't realize that although my children drove me crazy sometimes, I loved them fiercely. I tried to replay the sound of their laughs and giggles from memory, using that as a distraction from the awkward and quiet car ride.

"Stupid kids, stupid manager, stupid orphanage. Messing up my outfit," Tanya muttered under her breath.

"It's a center," I muttered back. Once again, rolling my eyes heaven ward. I was annoyed that she let that minuscule detail ruin her day but at the same time, her rude attitude towards the center sent a pang through my heart. Reflecting back to how Tanya reacted and dealt with everything that happened to her, I couldn't help but compare Tanya to Bella.

Bella loved our children and children in general. I learned today that Tanya detested them with an unnerving passion. Bella was a great mother, and a great teacher, but it was more than that, she instinctively knew how to handle children. Bella was unafraid of a little bit of mess and chaos; Tanya, it would seem, couldn't stand to have a hair out of place. She had overreacted when that small boy accidentally bumped into her. Bella was a pro in the kitchen and even managed to teach _me_ how to cook, while Tanya preferred to be waited on.

Bella was patient, kind to others, and nurturing and loving toward children. Tanya, on the other hand, had proven herself to be a selfish woman whose bossiness knew no bounds.

Between the two women, there was no comparison. I was a fool to think that my life could be any better without Bella in it. There was no contest between the two. It didn't matter what reality I was in, Tanya couldn't hold a candle to Bella's true and inner beauty. My stomach churned and my eyes burned.

My heart was full of regret and loss for the pointless mistakes I'd made while it screamed, "I love you, Bella! Only you! I'm so sorry…for everything."

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**A/N: Looks like Edward is finally realizing his mistakes regarding Bella and the kids. Depending on how it plays out, we may meet the rest of the Cullens next chapter!**


	14. The Invitation

**Beta: Random Loves**

**A/N: I want to take this time to thank all my wonderful readers who have taken the time to review. It's absolutely heart-warming to hear your opinions good or bad. And for those who leave LONG reviews and those who I have the pleasure to hear from for almost every chapter, thank you from the bottom of my heart! **

**As i have been getting a lot of questions and comments about Marcus' life story with his love, here is my answer. You guys _will_ hear about his story. But I am not promising that it is going to be a good one. I don't know yet if I'm going to explain what is happening in Edward's other life (whether time stops, if they're wondering where he is, etc.) right now or just wait for explanations when he gets back to his old reality. Now don't go thinking I just spoiled it. You all must know that he _will_ end up going back. After all, I am a strict believer of HEAs.**

**Now enough of me talking and let's get going! A Marcus POV for this chapter. Read and review.**

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**Chapter 14: The Invitation**

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Marcus sighed sadly as he watched Edward sleep. He may have been a materialistic asshole but Marcus could tell that Edward was finally learning from every one of his mistakes.

He was disappointed that he couldn't go with Edward to the children's center but Aro had summoned him. So off to see Aro he went.

Marcus felt that his meeting with his supervisor was pretty successful, if not a bit frustrating. Aro told him that he as it was holiday's season, he was very busy helping and watching over more angels on duty. He said that now more than ever, I had to stick with Edward to help him through any problems.

Marcus might be a bit rude and unsocial at times, but spending time with a guy like Edward wasn't all that bad. Edward was easier to work with than most, and tolerable when he kept his brooding under control.

However, Marcus didn't really want to spend all that much time with his charge, because, putting it simply, he was a tad bit jealous. Jealous, resentful, melancholy, whatever the feeling, he knew it was because of their similar situations. Edward was facing everything head on and heeded the warnings and even started to feel remorse for his behavior without even realizing it. The human Marcus had been a completely different story.

Marcus may not have had a guardian angel, to push him in the right direction, but he did have friends and family that cared. After all, many have said, "Friends and Family are angels in disguise."

It was true. Marcus had no one to blame but himself because every wrong decision he made was of his own doing. His sister, his mother, hell, even his father, hardly a pro in the love division, tried to help him. But in the end, the fog and illusion of power, sex and money won Marcus over. Those choices were something that he eternally regretted.

When it came to Edward, he just knew that his client was heading in the right direction. Now all they needed was to work out that last step, the major milestone, that will lead Edward back to his other life.

Marcus was struggling with whether to be happy for Edward or to resent him. He knew, with all his being, that even now, he would do anything and everything to get a second chance at life. To do right by Didyme. Unfortunately, his time had long passed. His job now was to make sure that Edward didn't end up just like him: bitter, jaded, regretful and well, just bitter.

In order to make that happen, Aro told him that he would have to do something that he could hardly stomach. For Edward to truly understand how his life would turn out if he didn't change his ways, Marcus was going to have to reveal his own story. Marcus struggled, it was something he didn't want to relive, ever.

Aro could assign him anything and Marcus would do it in a heartbeat for a chance to get his wings. Anything but this, it was too painful. Marcus had vowed, a long time ago, that he would never again discuss his past. Every time he did, the regret would come back to him tenfold and leave him feeling too vulnerable. Marcus couldn't remember the last time he'd let his guard down and he refused to do it now. To hell with Aro's orders. Edward can figure things out with Marcus tearing out his soul.

As if sensing Marcus' stubbornness, a gust of wind from above blew through the beautiful meadow, where the reluctant angel sat alone. "Marcus," sighed the deep voice of Aro, "I know you don't want to tell Edward about your past, but trust me, there are many obstacles still ahead and you need to tell him your story. He needs reassurance that he is making a difference, that he's slowly getting there. You may not think so, but if you tell him about your life with Didyme and your life without her, it will help Edward so much."

"Why? So he can have a laugh and tell me how big a fool I was for letting my only love go? What is it about my pathetic story that you think that will give him reassurance?" he demanded, with a voice sharper than it should be when speaking to one's supervisor, "Do you think that the fact that my story does NOT have a happy ending will help him achieve his own happy ending? NO! He'll just pity poor old Marcus. I don't think so."

"Very well. I can't force you to tell Edward, but if you did, it will help him understand that he is making a difference, that every day, he is getting closer to returning to his other life…" Aro repeated, and cryptically continued, "…especially after he gets home from work." Marcus raised his eyebrows at the last part. Usually, Aro was more forthcoming. Marcus looked up at the sky, well aware that there was nothing to see. "What do you mean?" he asked, grateful for his invisibility.

"Well, let's just say that our Edward will get an invitation to the Cullen's annual Christmas Cookout. It is one of the most looked forward to events of the year. Usually the Edward in this reality passes as Tanya makes a point of being home on that particular weekend, and guilt him into staying with her. However, this year, Carlisle will insist that Edward join them. Bella will be there…along with many others. It is a strictly family event, they consider Bella a part of the family, so prepare Edward to see her."

"Like who?" asked Marcus, already knew the answer but wanted Aro to confirm one guest in particular.

"As expected, Carlisle and Esme are the hosts, Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, Bella, as I said, and...Jacob. It's your job to help Edward get through this evening. Prepare him as best as you can and never leave his side at the actual dinner. Now I have to go. I'll send you a message as soon if I hear anything new. Now go meet Edward and tell him about the cookout…warn him, we want to avoid another freak out."

* * *

**A/N: Who's excited to finally see the Cullens and Jacob? Sadly, no kids yet...**

**We're one review away from 100, now would you please be a doll and leave a review?**


	15. The Invitation II

**Beta: Random Loves.**

**A/N: If you guys haven't yet, please check out my other story: Unexpected Blessing. It'd really mean a lot to me if you guys read it and review.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Invitation II**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

"You okay, son? You look haggard," Carlisle asked as I entered.

I nodded sluggishly. I probably looked like shit, I certainly felt like shit. Last night…was hell. After getting home from the children's center Tanya dropped me off, quickly changed and then left to have a supposed dinner with Victoria. I had no doubt that she would be meeting her lover.

Carmen was dutifully waiting for me at the front door and had dinner at the ready. She must have anticipated that the volunteering with Tanya wouldn't end well. After giving me a sympathetic smile, she pulled me into a warm motherly hug and said "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. Whatever happened, just try to put it out of your mind. I knew that Tanya wouldn't last a day around children."

I nodded against my chin brushing against the top of her head, she was so much shorter than me, and then let her lead me to the kitchen island. Somehow, I managed to shovel down the meal prepared for me. However, after eating, I gave Carmen my thanks for a delicious me and then left for my room.

I stood before the ornate full length mirror, taking in the designer clothes that were ill suited for playing with children. I didn't even want to know what was stuck to my shirt sleeve. Tanya had insisted that we look impeccable. It hadn't worked out too well for her either; I was certain that fancy blouse of hers was ruined.

I surveyed the contents of my closet, the neatly pressed oxford shirts, tailored slacks and designer jeans, and the food I just wolfed down felt like a lump of led in my stomach.

I quickly stripped out of my soiled designer dud and pulled on the now clean, and familiar, t-shirt and sweats I'd been wearing when I arrived in this reality. Lying down on my bed, I just slept away my frustrations with dreams full of Bella and the kids.

**-xXx-**

"Son," my father greeted me, assessing my sad state.

I willed myself to be mad at him. He was, after all, the reason I'd had to spend an unfortunate day with Tanya. The volunteering I didn't mind one bit, but the moments with my selfish, self absorbed wife were hell. Apparently, my face reflected all that and more by the guilty smile he'd flashed me.

"Edward, I know that you're probably angry with me, but I couldn't very well Tanya that you were too busy for a charity event, now could I? You know she gets overly suspicious when I say that you can't possibly have any time off…remember how she charged into the E.R., demanding to see you after I strictly told her you were in surgery?"

"No, of course I wouldn't! I'm not from this reality," I thought, wanting to shout it out loud, but Instead I replied, "Right. Sorry. Tanya just...well let's just say it didn't go well."

Understatement of the century.

Carlisle nodded in sympathy as we walked to his office. He had wanted a consult on a case. On our way there, I heard his phone vibrate in the quiet hallway. He flipped his phone open. It must have been a text message. I turned away to give him some privacy. After he returned the phone to his pocket, we carried on to his office at a slightly faster pace. Was that a skip in his step?

My eyebrows scrunch as I smirked at dear old dad. What in the world could make my old man so happy this early in the morning?

Closing the door to his office, he explained. "So…I just got a text message from Esme," pausing for a moment as he smiled goofily, "…who got a text message from Alice."

My breath hitched at the mention of my little sister who was too charismatic for her own good. In my other life, Alice constantly pestered us to move back to Forks even going so far as to come to LA with real estate listings. However, it only served me to push her away. My heart broke at the memory of the little pixie finally giving up.

Oblivious to my turmoil, Carlisle continued excitedly. "And you know how Alice loves parties, throwing parties and going to parties. Well, it turns out that Rosalie will be in town this year, her field work was cancelled. You know what that means...we'll be having our traditional cookout/dinner for Christmas!"

My dad's euphoric smile made him look ten years younger and I couldn't help but grin along with him. His happiness was contagious. "That's great! So I guess you'll have to take one of your exempt days," I teased, assuming that Carlisle was a workaholic in this world too. In either reality, my dad was dedicated to his hospital. My mom teased him that he loved the hospital more than her. Of course it wasn't true. My dad managed to find a good balance between work and family. Something I had failed to do. I should have realized long before now that _family_ came first.

Before I could fall deeper into my self-hatred, Carlisle frowned at me, and firmly said, "I'm not the only one with an exemption...doctor. You are too."

I nodded dumbly, not really believing it. There was no way that Alice or any of my siblings would ever invite me to one of these family events. I was too much of an asshole to her. "Uh, hello?! Correct me if I'm wrong but this is another reality…" my subconscious piped in.

My eyebrows rose as I realized that it was right. I guess I was just scared that if I stared into my little sister's inquisitive eye, she'd see right through me.

It made my stomach churn at the very idea of facing my little brother, Emmett. I may have been older but he was built like a barge…intimidating. And Jasper…Jesus, how was I going to _not_ shit a brick?

He may be leaner and lankier than Emmett but he had a quiet but deadly aura emanating from him. Rosalie, Emmett's wife and Jasper's cousin, I didn't even want to think of how deep she'd dig her nails in my arm for how I treated my family...Bella and the kids.

"So it's settled. You're going to the cookout because you are invited. And this year, we aren't letting that wife of yours spoil it from being anything but a complete celebration," Carlisle said firmly.

Geez, what did that woman not control?

I shook out of my thoughts as Carlisle stared me down, his expression challenging. I nodded and sighed. I will have to deal with the hell Tanya might give me but if I was being honest with myself, I missed my mother and siblings dearly. Why the hell did the other Edward let Tanya stop him from seeing the family while not putting a stop to her behavior?

At my approval, Carlisle pleasantly returned the nod and then passed on the details, "Your mother and I are hosting this year, so make sure you're at the house around 6:00, if you are a minute past 7:00, your sister will have your head."

We both laughed and then got to the consult. It was a tricky case, and I gave my opinion on a course of treatment. Carlisle agreed, and started on the paperwork to get things started.

Much later in the day, it hit me...I was going to finally spend some time with my family, or at least part of it. It would feel strange to be there without Bella to ground me. I will definitely be talking to Marcus about this. I would need all the help I could get.

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**A/N: Thanks for the continuous reviews, folks! There's a surprise waiting for you all next chapter. So excited for you guys to read it.**


	16. Cullen Cookout

**Beta: Random Loves**

**A/N: I'm really sorry but I didn't make my deadline. As you can all see, this story is not finished but it is _almost_ finished. Depending if I choose to add anything more, we only have a couple of chapters left and then some more for the epilogue. I already have some ideas on what Edward should do to be sent back to his old life. Hope you guys still stick with me until the end.**

**Thank you again for the continuous reviews. Although I haven't really replied to you guys' reviews, just please know that I appreciate them. Whether it is your first review or the 15th review for this story, thank you. I just hope you guys don't think that I don't care about what you have to say; it's just because I'm trying to finish HS ASAP.**

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**Chapter 16: Cullen Cookout**

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"You ready? Remember what I told you. Brace yourself, son, you are going to see Bella with Jacob tonight," Marcus reminded.

I exhaled shakily, glad that he was here to offer some kind of support. Thank God he warned me this time. I didn't want to think of what I would've done, or how I would've reacted, had I seen Bella with her husband without any warning in advance.

I grabbed my keys, and we made our way downstairs to where Carmen was waiting. Marcus was invisible and thank God for that. I wondered how Carmen would react if she could see a stranger in this house… I couldn't help but smile as I saw Carmen self-consciously adjusting her red sweater. I placed a gentle hand to her shoulder and said, "You look fine, Carmen."

Her eyes snapped to mine as her cheeks turned the same shade as her top. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous. I guess I've just been a little off this season," she laughed awkwardly, "And here I am falling to pieces while you haven't really spent time with your family in ages."

I waved her apology away. I was nervous to see them, but I couldn't let it show. After all, this Edward was still talking to, or at least in contact with, his family. It was Tanya that was the road block.

Extending my arm to Carmen, we made our way to the car, with Marcus right behind. After buckling in, I drove us to my parents' house. I hoped that I was driving to my parents' house, in the other reality they'd lived at the same address for decades. I turned on to the long narrow drive, and smiled as I came upon the house...no home...it was just as I remembered. Warm and inviting and full of life, and we haven't even entered yet. I was hit with a rush of nerves and willed myself to relax. I was going to see Bella and my siblings again. Piece of cake, right?

-xXx-

"Edward! So glad you made it, honey!" Esme exclaimed, planting a sweet kiss to my cold cheek. I may be all grown up, however, my mother still had the power to make me flush in embarrassment.

"Carmen! You look gorgeous! So good to see you," she continued, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

Esme ushered us into the great room where hearty fire roared in the fireplace. In the corner was a 12ft perfectly decorated Christmas tree, I even recognized some of the ornaments from my childhood. There was a grand pile of wrapped presents tucked under the tree as well. Soft Christmas lights strung neatly through boughs of spruce and holly, elegantly illuminating the room.

We followed behind Esme through to the family room. The TV was on, but there was no one sitting on the huge leather sectional. We passed on heading to the kitchen. On our approach, I could hear the low murmurs of people, the volume increasing as we got closer.

Esme's eyes lit up as we entered the crowded kitchen. Alice was directing Emmett, who was shifting some kind of edible fruit bowl on the marble counter, and Carlisle was talking with Jasper, as they made what looked like marinade in a glass bowl, and just on the other side of the double French doors, I caught sight of Rosalie concentrating on firing up the grill. My family, for this world's Edward, it had probably been a few months, but for me, it had been years since we were all together under one roof. I felt a little like the Grinch as my heart swelled two times its size. Esme delicately cleared her throat while trying to hide my six foot two frame behind her petite one. It was a wasted effort, nonetheless, all eyes snapped to our direction.

Before I knew it, there was a girly squeal and then I was hit with the force in the form of Alice. She wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed. Hard. Jesus, for someone so small, she was pretty damn strong. I loosened her arms. "Whoa there, pixie," I said, using her nickname from our childhood, "…I don't want to suffocate before Christmas."

She lightly smacked my shoulder, but jumped down anyway. Just as I was giving Emmett and Jasper one armed bro-hugs, Rosalie came in, most likely to see what the commotion was about. In what could only be described as an, un-Rosalie like fashion, her eyes widened as she sprinted to me, throwing her arms around my neck in much the same fashion as Alice. It was surreal. I hugged her back. The Rosalie I knew was not the easiest person to talk to. She had trust issues due largely in part to a bad relationship with a rotten boyfriend, but it was safe to assume that Rosalie in any world was loyal to family.

Rosalie had hardly backed away when Alice pounced again, getting her fill of hugs and kisses. Her delighted squeal was deafening. "Geez, turn down the volume Pix! You were right next to my ear!" I complained.

My energetic sister hardly acknowledged my plea, as she made her way to Carmen. All eyes followed her and there was a collective expression of big smiles on everyone's faces. I was immediately forgotten.

"It's good to have you here, son. More than you know," Carlisle said earnestly, staying back with me as the others swarmed Carmen with affection. I was right, she was family.

Yes, I did know. I didn't have the works and merely nodded. Life here, in this world, was mostly quiet, painfully so. Tanya was rarely home, which frankly wasn't a bad thing. However, when she _was _home, she was demanding and pretty much a bitch to Carmen, and me. This home was life. Full of laughter and love.

After the warm greeting, Carmen dropped her homemade brownies on the kitchen table and there was a collective scramble by everyone to get their fair share before they were all gone. Soon enough, Alice was back on track, tasking us each with various cookout duties. The kitchen was a buzz of activity, bowls were being mixed, and plates were being filled. Esme and Carmen got to work on the pineapple glazed ham, while I was tasked to help Rose with the grill.

And that's how I found myself outside nursing along the hot coals with my beautiful sister-in-law. We were quiet for quite some time, just concentrating on our tasks, before Rosalie broke the silence, and said, "So, Edward, I'm glad you made it. Hope Tanya didn't give you too hard a time for coming."

I stared at her. The Edward and Rosalie of this world must have enjoyed a much more amiable relationship... She was still Rosalie though and just as observant. "Thankfully, she had other plans," I vaguely explained. The truth was I had no idea where Tanya was. She wasn't home when it was time to leave so Carmen and I simply left without her. We hadn't bothered to track her down either. We both knew what she was up to, and there was no need to tell Rose, or anyone for that matter, that my wife was most likely with another man. I just didn't care.

Rosalie nodded and then returned her attention back to the coals, while I went back inside to get marinade from Emmett. Stepping back outside, I felt the chill. I glanced around the large patio, and found what I'd been looking for. Placing the steaks on the grill, I then moved the two propane torch heaters closer to the grill area and turned them on so we weren't exposed to the cold air.

"Good idea," Rosalie said, grabbing for the tongs to turn over the steaks. Just as I was about to grab a set of my own, there was a loud commotion in the kitchen. I tilted my head and peered through the glass door to see who had arrived.

At the sight of long, wavy brown hair, my heart skipped a beat as I tightly held onto the tongs. Feeling a light weight on my shoulder, I just noticed the hand of my guardian angel firmly placed on my shoulder.

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**A/N: This is gonna be one awkward dinner for Edward! Prepare to meet Jacob and Bella in the next chapter.**


	17. Tension at the Table

**Disclaimer: I am in no way taking credit or getting paid to write this story. All credit belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I am a player at her sandbox, I didn't build it.**

**A/N: To all those who have reviewed and continuously reviewed, I'm going to try and reply back to your comments. But just please know that I appreciate each and everyone one of your reviews. Whether it may be short or long, I'm just thankful you took the time to leave a comment.**

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**Chapter 17: Tension at the Table**

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It seemed as if everything moved in slow motion as I watched Bella shake the remnants of snow off of her voluminous hair. From my left, Rose looked up at the new arrivals and jumped to her feet, disappearing into the house…leaving a partially overturned bag of coals in her haste to greet Bella. Wow. I guess they were close, too. Sighing heavily, I sluggishly righted the knocked over bag and returned my attention back to the steaks.

It was then, that I remembered Marcus was beside me, and I relaxed a bit at the sight of him. Grateful that he was still here to support me. I didn't think I could take greeting Bella without his help. Forcing my feet to stay where they were, I finished grilling the food. I wanted to go to her, my body, soul and heart screamed for me to dash over there. However, I was mindful of Marcus's warning about the complications that would come up tonight.

Bella was here with her husband.

It was going to be one hell of an awkward dinner…well at least for me. And maybe Carlisle or Esme. After all, they were, hopefully, the only ones who knew about this Edward's love for Bella. To them, they'd just think that it was awkward because Bella didn't know that I loved her, what with each of us being married to other people. What no one knew was that on top of the awkwardness, was that I had to sit in front of _my Bella_ and watch her with another man.

Like I said, it's going to be hell.

-xXx-

"Edward! Nice to see you again! I didn't actually anticipate you'd be here this year…It's too bad the kids aren't with us this year. Leah and Seth both have slight colds so I told them to just stay home. They would've loved to see you." Bella said, pulling my tall frame into a hug, her tiny warm body cradling mine. With my close proximity, I couldn't help but breathe in her scent, strawberry and freesia with a little hint of vanilla. She smelled like home.

I looked up and caught the sight of Jacob behind her. He was in conversation with Emmett and Jasper. Still as tanned and muscled as the last time I saw. He looked like he belonged here, fitting right in with my family. I stiffened as I realized the irony. In my other life, this was how I saw first Jacob: looking over Bella's shoulder. Only this time, she was his girl, and not mine. My heart broke a little.

A few seconds later, Bella let go of me. I didn't know whether to sigh in relief or sadness. She took a step back and gave me a lovely smile. Even in this world, she could read me, physically and emotionally. Kindly she said, "I'm really glad you're here. Since it's the holidays, I hope you get to take some time off and relax a bit! You look exhausted."

I returned her sentiment with a small smile. If she only knew that I was tired for a multitude of reasons. Last night had been tough, despite Tanya's welcomed absence. I hadn't slept well at all. I had been over worried about what was going to happen when I saw Bella with Jacob again. It hadn't been my only worry. In bed, I shifted restlessly, consumed with thoughts of how I was going to get back to my other life, or if I was even going to be able to get back at all, plagued me. All I know is that no matter what happened, no matter what I had to do, I was going back to my real life. I was more than ready. It was time to say goodbye to this reality, and my miserable life with Tanya, and return to my Bella and our children.

My musings were cut short as Esme dragged both Bella and I to the dining room. My eyes widened a bit at the feast before me. There was some fancy looking candle arrangement in the center of the huge oak table. It conveyed elegance, and was a stark contrast to the mismatched potluck dishes surrounding it. There were some plastic cups, and pottery dishes as well as Christmassy platters filled with freshly baked breads and rolls. The pile of juicy steaks, which Rosalie must have grabbed off the grill, were on a slab of butcher board, and the glazed ham didn't seem to fit the fancy display either.

Esme invited us all to sit down and it was quiet comical to watch how everyone jockeyed for the best seats closest to their favorite dish. The table could easily seat 16, and since there were only ten of us, we were all seated quickly. Bella took the available seat next to Jacob near the middle, as I sat near the end next to Esme with Alice joining me on my right.

Emmett reached over to grab a spoon, with the obvious intent of loading up his plate with his favorite dish first, when Esme cleared her throat loudly. He stopped mid-reach as Esme lightly scolded him as if he were a child, "Emmett Arthur Cullen! Mind your manners! We have yet to say grace. You know better."

"Sorry mom," he said, his is childish pout was enough to make everyone laugh. However, I hardly paid attention. I was watching Jacob as he looked at Bella adoringly at the sound of her angelic laugh. Fuck, this was just great. Fan-fucking-tastic even. How was I supposed to deal with this?

My head was down as I pretended to say grace. In reality, I was lost to my own musings. I thought I'd prepared myself to see this Bella with her husband, but I hadn't fully expected to her to be _in love_ with her husband. It threw me, and now more than ever, the waves of guilt coursed through my body. I had messed up with my Bella and the Edward from this world had fallen for a happily married Bella. I was ashamed, for both of us. Watching the pair interact...under different circumstances, Jake and I might have been friends. Maybe.

With a chorus of _Amen_, chaos ensued, everyone grabbing for their favorites and filling their plates to the brim. The table was abuzz with excited voices all happy to see each other again. I watched as Esme tried to discreetly wipe away her happy tears, and my ever observant father rose from his seat to give my mother an understanding squeeze under the ruse of getting some more mashed potato. That is what a loving partnership looked like.

While everyone else was wolfing down their food, I rolled some of my peas around on my plate, nervousness prickling in my stomach. Marcus promised that he'd be here and he had been when we came in. But now he was nowhere to be seen. I tried to nonchalantly crane my neck to look for him but stopped when I caught Esme staring at me with a puzzled expression.

Before I got too anxious, I heard a quiet snap that I somehow knew only I could hear. I calmed when I saw his familiar face. It was funny to think that in the beginning of this...lesson I was in, the sight of Marcus brought me nothing but annoyance, but now I had accepted that he really was around to help me.

With everyone still eating and chatting animatedly, Marcus motioned with his head toward the powder room in the hallway. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

In response to my puzzled expression, he rolled his eyes and then bent a finger motioning me to follow him. I felt rather stupid, blinking rapidly, as I finally understood what he meant.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back," I excused myself, glad that no one was really paying attention to me except, of course, for Esme who still seemed to be watching me closely.

She worriedly bit her lip and whispered, "You okay, honey?"

"Restroom break, mom," I whispered back and quietly left the table, making my way to the bathroom and the waiting Marcus. I switched on the light and shut the door. Thankfully, the bathroom door was thick and located far away enough from the dining table that I didn't have to worry about being heard. God knows that if someone overheard me talking to myself, they'd think I had gone loony. I then turned to him and asked, "What is it?"

"Listen, son, first things first, I am sorry that I had to leave you on your own for a bit. I was planning to follow you inside, but Aro summoned me…he had some really important information…"

After catching my questioning look, he clarified, "I'll explain soon, but not right now. I need to warn you, your family is going to talk about their lives, and their children, including Bella and Jacob. You need to keep it together. You need to hear what they are saying and not sink so deep into self-hatred that you stop listening," he gave me a challenging look, and continued, "It's going to be hard listening to everyone, but you must pay attention. Take this opportunity to learn and understand, and you may just get back to your other life."

I nodded as a multitude of images ran through my mind. Regret for my past behaviors, acceptance of the lessons that I've learned so far, and lastly what happiness looked like. My family, in either world, was a good example of true happiness. I smiled, and Marcus rolled his eyes in response. "Now get back to dinner and keep your cool. I'll be right behind you if you need anything," he said before heading back to the dining room.

Surprisingly, instead of just murmurs of voices, there was a collective laugh around the room. My eyebrows rose, curious as to what was the source. Apparently, it was Bella and sadly…Jacob who were responsible for the sudden joy emanating from the full table.

"Edward, have a seat. Bella and Jake were just telling us about Leah and Seth. Can you believe that they are turning six next week?" Esme explained then turned to the beaming couple in front of her, her voice taking on a nostalgic tone, "Oh, how time flies so fast! It feels like it was only yesterday that we all attended their first birthday party!"

I momentarily wondered if this Edward had attended that party. It was unlikely as Carlisle had said that this Edward's behavior changed upon seeing Bella about two years ago... Had he ever been happy with Tanya?

There were no pictures of them as a couple anywhere. There had been no affection between them, not that she hadn't made a few half-hearted efforts with him. This Edward had trapped himself in a loveless marriage. Did he realize way too late what real happiness looked like and resolved to live in misery? Why did he stay?

I snorted at that. Even Carlisle encouraged him to move on. Where the hell was I getting off on thinking about this Edward and his choices?

I had my own to worry about...and then I realized that I had been doing exactly what Marcus told me not to do! It was then that Esme elbowed me gently. I turned to her, adjusting back to my seat. She gave me a sympathetic smile before glancing pointedly to the Blacks who happened to sitting across from me.

I needed to pay attention.

Although it sickened me to no end, the thought of Bella bearing a child with another, I couldn't resent her kids. After all, any part of Bella was to be cherished. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Wow, six already...how are they doing?"

Jacob and Bella exchanged glances, smiling all the while. Unexpectedly, a pang of envy shot through me. Before losing my job, I loved talking, more like bragging, about my angelic kids with Bella. I breathed deeply as Jacob and Bella excitedly shared about their kids.

"They're great actually. Excited for their birthday party next week, and getting more excited for Christmas. We've had to hide all their presents in the attic. They are getting too clever at finding our usual hiding spots," Bella answered, a beautiful smile gracing her lips. She was such a good mom. Whether it may be to Leah and Seth, or to Gracie and Mase, she was the best mom any child can ever ask for.

If only I had been a better dad, instead of the self-absorbed asshole I'd become…

_Right! Paying attention!_

Jacob released a deep laugh, and added, "I think that's an understatement. We nearly got caught. Fortunately my equally clever wife told the kids that I was in the attic making sure the chimney was safe for Santa," he paused, and looked around the table earnestly, "And thank you guys again for taking the time to get them something. I'm sure they'll love everything."

All the Cullen women beamed in response. Rose piped in, her usually sharp and snarky voice turning softer, more maternal and affectionate, "You're welcome. It was our pleasure. Your kids are adorable!"

Jacob and Bella smiled before muttering a quiet, "Well, thank you again."

The talk about children continued. Before I knew it, Rose and Emmett were gushing about their own boy, Remy and their young princess, Emily. I had to hide my shock. In the other reality they'd only had Remy...or maybe they had Emily and I just didn't know about it. Apparently, one thing that was the same was that Jasper and Alice weren't parents, yet. However, based on the sly smiles they'd just exchanged, another addition was in the making.

Laughter and funny stories were exchanged, all centered on the four children. Anecdotes about school events, adorable moments, and memorable things were shared. Esme and Carlisle were playing the proud grandparents role very well, adoring smiles on their faces at the mention of their grandchildren. Based on their goofy smiles, I could just imagine them spoiling the all the kids rotten…

A flash of guilt came at me. I'd done what Marcus had said, and paid attention. I realized what staying in LA had cost, not only me, but Bella and the children. Keeping them from family, I'd denied them a support system. There had been nothing really tying us to LA. I wasn't getting my position at the hospital back, and Bella was still on maternity leave, it would've been so easy to move to Forks…

Like Alice had suggested.

Both our families would have helped us get back on our feet. The cousins could have spent more time together. They could grow up together. Carlisle and Esme would've been over the moon to have all their grandchildren close to dote upon.

If only I chose to get over my goddamn pride.

Then it hit me, like a bucket of ice cold water. I was just as bad a Tanya...she controlled this Edward, thought only of herself and her needs. Me, I controlled my Bella. I wouldn't listen to her suggestions. I only thought of myself and what I wanted. I had been so wrong about so many things...

I was shaken out of my thoughts at the sound of quiet laughter that wasn't coming from the table. I saw Marcus smiling in the corner as another story was told. Wait a minute...He was laughing?

Wow…I guess miracles do happen.

I snickered at my own thought. It was true, children, or in this case stories of children, held a great deal of power. It was strange to hear a genuine laugh from him. Even he couldn't escape the power of family and...love.

All this talk of the children made me miss mine even more. Even though I had lost my job, I loved the extra time with my kids. I may not have been vocal about it, but I had loved how every morning, before they had to get ready for school, they'd tickle and jump on the bed to wake me up and make them breakfast. They were my responsibility, as Bella was the main bread winner, and had to get up for her early morning shift.

Another round of laughter and an addition of coos and _awwwws _helped me make a decision. I had promised Marcus that I wouldn't, but some promises were made to be broken. Tomorrow, I was going to visit Bella and Jacob's house to get a glimpse Leah and Seth for myself.

If I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly.

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**Beta: Random Loves. Thanks again for fixing my mistakes. You're awesome! *mwuah***

**Read and Review, guys!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Beta: Random Loves**

**A/N: You guys are going to find out about what Aro told Marcus. It is the angel's POV for this chapter.**

**Chapter 18**

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Marcus may have been a tough man, but his heart went out to Edward. He hadn't had any children, but he knew that it must be hard to see your wife married, and happily at that, to someone else, with two kids as a bonus. But then again, Marcus didn't feel all that bad. Edward was very, very close to making his way back.

**…**

"_Marcus," a voice from above began, "I'm here to tell you what you most likely already know: your dear Edward is going to be sent back to his own reality soon. He's realized his mistakes and has regretted his past decisions. What he has yet to do is correct those mistakes."_

"_Well how is he going to fix things? When he gets back to his other reality?" Marcus asked, wanting to make sure that his client, who he managed to get attached to, did everything he was supposed to._

"_Not yet, Marcus," even through his voice, Marcus could practically hear Aro shaking his head. "Something…something dreadful, awful even, will have to take place before I can reveal what Edward needs to fix. How he goes about those fixes, well, that will be up to him, and you."_

"_Well, what's the 'dreadful' thing you are talking about?" the second angel hedged, slightly impatient._

_Aro gave a quiet tsk before clarifying, "Nothing is concrete, as you know. Any one decision can change things up no matter how minutely, but I do have a general idea. Something is about to happen tonight that will cause more complications for you and for your client if it is not averted."_

_Marcus was quiet for a bit, clueless to what the older angel was trying to say. Marcus wanted to avoid any more complications, especially now that Edward was so close to the finish line, so to speak. He didn't want… No. He __refused__, let any problems stop the progress Edward was making._

"_Don't even ask. I can't tell you. However, it is safe to assume that Edward will be the cause of it. You must watch over your client," Aro warned, and then disappeared completely._

_Marcus sighed as he made his way back to the dining room, and thought, "Oh, my boy, what trouble are you going to stir up now?"_

**…**

And now looking at the situation itself, Marcus wasn't completely sure what the hell Edward was going to do. He may be an angel with some powers but wasn't a goddamn mind-reader.

Somehow, Marcus knew that whatever trouble Edward will cause had something do with his family. What Marcus was more sure of was that he would do everything and anything within his power to prevent Edward from doing something stupid, no matter what it took.

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**A/N: Getting closer to the end. Thanks for your continuous support. I hope you still enjoy this story, even if it isn't Christmas anymore.**


	19. Life with the Blacks

**A/N: Happy New Year! Whatever part of the world you are in, I hope you have a blessed and safe new year. To new beginnings…and hopefully new projects (put me on Author's alert if you haven't yet, I have a lot of new plots in mind)! 2013, may you be better than 2012.**

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**Chapter 19: Life with the Blacks**

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After my shift at the hospital, I stopped off at the house and let Carmen know not to expect me for dinner. Stupid or not, I was going to Bella's house. I wasn't sure how long I'd be there. I'd made it sound like I had been invited somewhere for dinner. I snorted. Only I knew where I was going and that it was in secret.

Driving down the dimly lit street, my stomach was in knots, as I neared my destination. I wasn't about to break in or trespass. I wasn't that stupid. Thank goodness Marcus wasn't around. My guardian was always off somewhere, otherwise he'd have stopped me by now. After all, he did tell me to not cause any trouble.

I had no intention of complicating anything. I simply wanted drive to their house, observe the family for a bit, see the children and then leave.

Little did I know that things weren't going to be as simple as planned.

**-xXx-**

I parked a couple of blocks down from the Black's street and quietly got out of the car. Their home was located in a middle-class neighborhood on a pretty nice street. Small white picket fences, clean front yards, freshly shoveled walkways, and the majority of the houses were strung with colorful Christmas lights. The festive decorations made me smile.

In my other life, it went without saying that Christmas was the best holiday of the year. Bella, the kids and I, would buy a fresh tree to decorate, a good month before Christmas. Bella and I would take loads of pictures of the children laughing while having fun decorating the whole house with Christmas decorations.

We had our own tradition of putting two angels a top of the tree, one for Mase and one for Gracie. That was probably their favorite thing, getting lifted on my shoulders to place the final ornament on our huge tree.

In this world, my Christmas wasn't nearly as family focused. Carmen had outdone herself, making a batch of her famous brownies, as well as a nice traditional dinner for the two of us, as Tanya was absent again. She had been unexpectedly called in by one of her colleagues to assist on an urgent case at Harbor View. I didn't believe it, but I didn't really care either. Frankly, my number one priority now was to get back to my reality.

Walking down the snowy street, reminiscing about my other life, I could practically smell the scent of vanilla and cinnamon signifying the holiday season. I could almost hear Bella calling us to the table, waiting excitedly for everyone to eat the feast she'd prepared with our help.

With Bella and the kids, we baked Christmas goodies all day and then munched on some while we packaged up the extra to give away. Of course some of the chocolate chip cookies were left out for Santa.

But not this year, it made me sick how it took this drastic event of being thrown into a new reality to realize how badly I had taken my truly blessed life for granted

After a couple more minutes of walking, I was now standing in front of their home. It was a modest, two-story house but even from the outside, looked nice and inviting. Suddenly, a chilly blast of wind hit me from the front. I shivered, blowing hot air into my hands as I rubbed them together in an attempted to get warm. I looked around. There were no cars about. Geez, where did that come from?

Shaking my head, I ignored the chill and made my way up the drive. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

C'mon, Cullen. You actually think there's a ghost?

Of course not. I had no idea where Marcus was at the moment, so I kept on walking. I planned to quickly do my thing and be gone before he found me. I picked up my pace, trying not to worry. Marcus was frequently late anyway. I attempted to convince myself that it was unlikely that he'd catch up to me.

**-xXx-**

I was here. Now what do I do?

At the side of the yard was a tall, old oak tree. I shrugged. It would have to do. I crossed the snow covered lawn, each foot step I made crunching through the hard snow. It echoed like thunder through the quiet neighborhood. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I worried about being heard. Fortunately, no one came to the window, and all I could see was the flickering light from what must have been the TV.

I quickly and quietly climbed my way up the tree, locating a branch sturdy enough to take my weight. It was then that I noticed my foot prints...I would have to deal with those later. I could see clearly through the front window, and I gasped at the scene. Thankfully, no one was around to hear me. The living room was on the small side, but clean and modestly decorated. There was an artificial Christmas tree set off to the side with a pile of opened presents underneath. Mounted on the wall beside the tree, was a flat screen TV, playing a familiar Christmas special.

However, that was far from the reason for my gasp. It was the sight of the family sitting all together on the huge, comfy-looking couch. My heart skipped a beat, as much as I tried, would never be prepared to see Bella living another life. She was dressed in adorable holiday pajamas, a young boy's head nestled in her arms, his head against her chest. I guessed the boy to be Seth. Beside them was Jacob with his arms wrapped around the young girl seated on his lap. She had to be Leah.

They were the picture of a perfect family. My heart pierced with pain.

The sound of a car engine startled me from my voyeurism, and I nearly fell out of the tree. I managed to brace my feet on a lower branch and steady myself back in to a safer position. I quickly turned around, curious to see who it was. Momentarily worried that it might be Chief Swan checking up on the family. To my great relief the car just drove on by. Now here I was, staring at the happy family, my heart aching and my stomach in knots at all that I had done to mess up my good life. It took everything in my power to quell my anguish at the sight of Bella, Jacob and the kids goofing around during the commercials breaks. I couldn't hear them, but it looked like Jacob was trying to get the children to do something. Their response was to shake their heads wildly in protest, while Bella watched on, clearly amused as she giggled at whatever was transpiring.

This playful banter reminded me of a time when Bella and the kids and I would have our own movie nights complete with homemade popcorn, and juice instead of soda. This time with the family was more fun than going to an actual theatre.

My musings were interrupted by a shuffle of footsteps coming up the sidewalk. Apparently, they were a group of Christmas carolers singing softly with a musical accompaniment. Their voices growing louder as they neared the Black's home.

I stayed stock still, holding my breath as they passed by the large oak and headed up the drive. I was not noticed. The carolers started a new song as one of the groups ran up to ring the bell. From my vantage point, I watched as both Jacob and Bella, moved to stand. The children just moved closer to each other distracted by their cartoon.

While Jacob made his way to the front door, Bella headed in the opposite direction to a different room. I craned my neck to see where she went, but couldn't see a thing. A smile grew on my face when she returned with a tray in her hands, a tray that I recognized, and had the pleasure of benefiting from every Christmas.

I was thrown into another memory from my other world. The world I wished I'd never left...

**-xXx-**

"Love, this is too much! Gracie and Mase are never going to eat all this! And neither will the patients at the hospital. You spoil us all," I exclaimed, taking in the sight before me.

From the first whiff, I was engulfed in the hypnotizing scent of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla. Just by that, I knew that my wonderful wife had been busy baking her special cinnamon cookies with chocolate and vanilla frosting. I was very lucky that my wife was such an amazing baker.

She usually just made enough for the kids and a few of the patients at the hospital, but this year, this year, there were more than what would be considered extra.

"Is it? I was planning on giving some to the carolers. They come by every year, and all we given them is candy," she answered, blushing all the while. As I attempted to grab a cookie for myself, she slapped my hand away and continued, "I wanted to do something different this year."

"What? Don't I get some? They look delicious," I begged, my mouth watering at the display of batches and batches of tantalizing cookies.

"Go ahead," she said with a smile, as she rolled her eyes at me, before returning back to setting the cooled and finished cookies on a decorative Christmas tray.

Biting into the cookies, I absently patted my still-flat stomach. Thank goodness I had gone to the gym or else I'd never fit into my trousers, because these cookies, and well, everything my wife made, were the best. Looked like the carolers were getting a lucky treat this year.

**-xXx-**

I was shaken out of my memories at the sound of Bella and Jacob exchanging holiday greetings with the carolers. They must have been from the neighborhood. Bella handed each one a cookie and then waved goodbye as they left. When they returned to the sofa, I watched with envy as Seth and Leah both snuggled up with their parents. It made me physically nauseous, I could hardly hold in the contempt that I held for myself. I should be home, where I belong, snuggling with my Bella, Mason and Gracie.

There was another commercial break and once again, Jacob and Bella left the living room while Leah and Seth stayed put. I couldn't see where they went and the limitations of my current location prevented me from getting a better look. I noticed a light go on, illuminating a window toward the back of the house. It must be the kitchen. Frantic, and not really knowing why, I looked for a better angle. I climbed down and over to a lower branch that would take me a little closer to the back of the house. I shimmied out as far as I could go before I felt the branch bend. I looked up praying that I could see in.

What I saw caused me to nearly lose my lunch. Oh, it started out normal enough. From what I could see they were just going to get more snacks. It wasn't so bad…but then Jacob leaned in to Bella, closing the gap between them inch by inch. My breath was labored and my heart was again pounding out of control. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to watch. I knew they were in love, it was obvious at the cookout, however, I wasn't prepared to see them actually kiss.

I don't know why I did it. I should have kept my eyes shut tight, but maybe it was something fate intended for me to witness. To learn. I opened my eyes to see Bella and Jacob, their lips molded together in a heated kiss. The snacks all but forgotten as they lost themselves in each other.

She's not your wife in this world. She's not your wife. She's not your wife. You cannot punch Jacob. You have no right to punch the guy!

I clenched my fists tightly around the tree branch, willing myself to calm the fuck down. I let out a shaky breath, the world around me seemed to be spinning; I could hear the rush of blood pounding loudly in my ears. As I evened out my breath, I hoped that the worst was over. However, my calming efforts were for not at what I witnessed next…

Jacob knelt down on his knees and hiked up Bella's loosely fitted pajama top. I fought back the bile rising in my throat. I didn't want to believe it. I tried to ignore the obvious sign of a slight baby bump. Then Jacob reverently splayed his over-large hand over Bella's stomach, placing a soft kiss right near her navel. It was like a dagger to my heart. The final straw to break me.

Bella and Jacob were having another child together.

I was angry. Not with Jacob, but with myself. I maybe had had some success in this world, but nothing that really mattered. In my other world I had everything I wanted and more. How could I have been so fucking stupid? How could I have let pity consume me so much that I lost sight of what was really important?

This should have been my life! I should be back in my world, kissing my Bella's baby bump!

I was drowning in shame. It was entirely my fault that I was stuck in this shitty reality. I longed for the life I had, the life that I would only ever want, the life that I should've had if I only made better choices. I felt like a shaken soda bottle ready to explode. It was this emotional roller coaster inside of me that prompted me to shift my position and lean in closer to get a better look. The branch I was on couldn't take my weight and it dipped low, brushing against the window. I froze, part in fear of falling and part because at that moment Bella looked out the window. I swear that she looked right at me. It might have been my imagination, but I wasn't entirely sure.

I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could form any words, I felt a weight push me off my already precarious spot and then I hit the ground.

Everything went black.

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**A/N: Guys please take the time to check out my other story: Unexpected Blessing. I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a try.**

**Beta: Random Loves. Thanks for shortening this chapter. Without her help, you'd be spending a day reading this chapter, reading random rambles. So thank you.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Getting closer to the end, guys. A Marcus POV this time. I'm really sorry for the late update. I've been so busy with studying for more exams. I'll try to update ASAP. Hope you guys stick till the end!**

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**Chapter 20**

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Marcus couldn't help but exhale a quiet sigh when he saw Edward trying to hold on to the tree branch to avoid falling. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Marcus was pretty sure he'd have laughed. Though he'd observed many strange behaviors in his line of work, it wasn't every day that he saw a 6'2" grown man attempting to imitate an ape.

However, now wasn't the time to think about such foolish antics. No, right now, Marcus was getting ready to save and then reprimand his client. It was comical that Edward would even think that he could pull one over on Marcus. The angel may not always be present, however, he was fully aware of his client. A responsible angel does not simply disappear, especially if his assignment is someone who needs all the help they can get.

No, Marcus had spoken with Aro. The older and wiser angel had finally told Marcus what Edward needed to do in order to get back to his old life.

Marcus was ecstatic, yet confused, with the news he had received. Aro had advised that the key entailed a little more than just regretting his behavior, regretting missed opportunities, or the promise to improve when given the chance. He stated:

_To truly effect change, he will need to understand, and fully realize what the consequences might have been had he not done the right thing._

Marcus rolled his eyes at the memory, knowing that somehow, Aro implied that Marcus needed to tell Edward his own story. Sly angel.

Marcus wouldn't fault Aro for his suggestion. After all, it was uncanny how similar their stories were, or at least what caused Edward to get sent to this alternate reality was similar.

Both Edward and Marcus thought that the life they were leading was something worth trading for something better, something more promising. They were both tempted with possibilities of a better life. A life where they didn't have to face their insecurities and doubts, where they were invincible, flawless and powerful.

Ultimately, they also ended up regretting their decisions once they got a taste of the other life. Only…only Edward was much quicker at realizing his mistakes than Marcus. With Edward there was actual hope. He, at least, still had a chance. However, Marcus…when he decided to turn things around, it had been too late.

The angel's humorous smile slid off his face as he was transported back with memories of his human life…a life that he let slip away. Didyme…his wants and needs…finding that it was too late, he pondered. Maybe he _should_ tell Edward about his life, the thought drifted, unsolicited through his mind. Before the idea could actually cement in Marcus' head, he was snapped back to the present when he spotted Edward lifting his hand and about to lose his balance.

Marcus shifted, quickly causing the branches to shake, and preventing Bella from seeing Edward. Even without Aro's warning, Marcus knew that Bella seeing Edward in that tree would only create more problems than solutions. Marcus jumped down from his position, a branch a few feet above, and hurled himself into Edward.

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**Thank you to my amazing beta, Random Loves, for taking the time to beta this chapter, even when she's having some family problems right now.**

**Next chapter is most likely going to be about Marcus' past…who's excited?**

**Leave a review so I know you guys are still there!**


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